3rd Quarter, 2006
Mesothelioma Memorial Scholarship
Kristel Givogue
“I moved to Lake St. Louis, MO with my family when I was 12 years old. My parents’ names are Yvan and Denise Givogue, and I have a 16 year old sister, Emilie, who is a sophomore in high school.
I am active in my communities both at school and at home. I am a member of Alpha Sigma Gamma Service Sorority, Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society and Student Senate at Truman, and a college leader of my youth group back home.”
A Portion of Kristel’s Winning Essay:
My family and I immigrated to the United States from Canada the summer prior to my eighth grade year. Although I could speak English, I only received one hour of basic English instruction per day, beginning in fourth grade, at the French schools I attended. When I moved to the United States, I began attending an English school. With hard work and perseverance I succeeded at my new school, graduating first in my class. I still faced the challenges of living in a foreign country, however.
This experience motivated me to devote my time to helping immigrants in the United States, especially those with a language barrier. I began volunteering as a teacher’s aide at an “English as a Second Language” program sponsored by the local community college. There I helped with the basic adult English class. The experience of helping immigrants through the “English as a Second Language” program has also inspired me to create a tutoring program to reach out to the children of my adult students who needed help with schoolwork and could not look to their parents for assistance. My participation in an “English as a Second Language” class and the creation of my tutoring program has been rewarding to me because it has allowed me to use my experiences and challenges in life to help others. I believe that my volunteer work with the “English as a Second Language” program and the creation of my tutoring program demonstrate my commitment to help unite diverse cultures and reach out to diverse peoples in the United States.
I am confident my commitment to postgraduate education will allow me to continue this service in my community because it would give me the tools necessary to further educate those in my community. With the knowledge I gain from higher education, I believe I would be able to reach out to the members of my community who are in need. Seeing the struggles of other immigrants in my community, such as myself, has allowed me to realize the opportunities afforded to Americans through post-secondary education. As a young woman in the land of opportunity of the United States, I am positive that for me, my post-secondary experience will not only help me gain knowledge and experience, but will allow me to better reach out to those around me.
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