By 509J Communications
Congratulations to Madras High School’s Three recipients of the Ford Foundation Scholarship. This year, MHS Seniors Jack Huang, Yael Carlon, and Jose Monroy each earned the prestigious Ford Foundation Scholarship for their contributions both in and out of the classroom. The scholarship covers 90% of unmet college costs and is calculated on the college’s Cost of Attendance.
Jack Huang:
Jack Huang was in his car and about to head into work when an email notification popped up on his phone. He picked up his phone and saw the email was from the Ford Foundation.
“It kind of made my heart sink a little bit,” he said.
That sinking feeling would be short-lived. Huang opened the email and was pleasantly surprised that he had earned the scholarship.
The scholarship will mostly benefit Huang financially, but with that financial support, comes the reassurance that other parts of his college experience will benefit.
“It will let me get more involved in clubs and activities I want to try out,” he said. “It’ll give me more time to kind of learn more about myself and explore more of what’s offered.”
Huang spent many hours working on the application. He would fine-tune it to try and give him the best chance of earning the scholarship. He started working on it when the application window opened back in November.
“There were a lot of rough drafts. I think almost 40 pages of drafts,” Huang said.
In the Fall, Huang plans on attending Oregon State University to study Biochemistry. He was drawn to the subject because of the experience he had with science at Madras High School. He found it was something he was deeply curious about.
“I really enjoy having that deeper understanding of how things in our world operate or anything in this world operates,” he said. “Or how kind of things work to put it in simple terms.”
Following college, Huang plans on attending graduate school and then enter into research fields or another career related to that.
His advice for students who are thinking about applying for the Ford Foundation Scholarship in the future is to go for it.
“It is a really daunting application and it’s a really big scholarship that a lot of people apply for, but I think it’s something that you should give a shot because anybody has a shot of getting it.”
Yael Carlon:
Carlon was at his tennis match for Madras High School when he opened up his email and saw he had an unread email from the Ford Foundation.
“I got really excited. I was too nervous to open it,” he said. “But I was like, I have to open it right now.”
It turns out that opening the email and seeing that he had been selected as a recipient of the Ford Foundation Scholarship gave him extra motivation before his next match.
“I actually ended up winning that tennis match,” he said. “It also got me thinking about the endless opportunities that were about to come my way.”
The scholarship will help Carlon pay for school. This will allow him to focus on his classes more without worrying about other expenses. He said the most important thing this will do for him is to allow him to focus on what is most important.
He spent hours working on the application for the scholarship. The work started in January and he kept going back and refining his answers to ensure it was as detailed as possible to give him the best chance of earning it.
His plan for the Fall is to attend the University of Oregon and study law.
“That’s why I was driven towards U of O because of their awesome law program and their campus is nice too,” he said.
Carlon plans on studying political science. He was researching the major earlier this year and realized how it could help him in the long run.
“I came across that it would help me develop all these communication skills, my writing skills and to get a good understanding of how politics works in society,” he said. “That’s really what drew my attention.”
Carlon wants to earn his law degree and is keeping his options open at this time with what he would do following college.
Jose Monroy:
Jose Monroy awoke from a nap with some of the most exciting news he has ever received. Upon waking up, he checked his phone and saw he had an email from the Ford Foundation. The email was letting him know he was one of the recipients of the scholarship.
“I just instantly jumped up. I was like, yelling, I was like, oh my gosh, I’m so excited,” he said. “I can’t believe I got it and so my first reaction was to call my mom, call the people that have helped me get the scholarship.”
Like Huang and Carlon, the scholarship will take the worry away for Monroy on how he was going to pay for college.
“So, now that this big weight is lifted off my shoulders, I feel like I can actually put all my effort towards learning,” he said.
Monroy also spent hours working on his application to give him the best chance at earning the scholarship.
In the Fall, he plans on attending Oregon State University like his fellow Ford Foundation recipient, Huang. While in Corvallis, he plans on studying mathematics.
“I was drawn to OSU just because they have really strong engineering and STEM programs, and I mean what’s not to love,” he said. “The campus is beautiful and it’s a nice town.”
As for mathematics, that is something that has always interested Monroy since he was a little kid and he believes it is something he will enjoy pursuing.
After college, his plan is to attend medical school.
“After that will be residency because I want to be an anesthesiologist,” he said. “So, it’s kind of a long road but something I think I’ll enjoy.”
Monroy is beyond grateful for the opportunity the Ford Foundation Scholarship will provide.
“I’m so blessed,” he said.