Nonprofit Leadership Scholarship, Essay Example

I am proud to have come from a family that is thankful for all the blessings and puts a huge emphasis on service to the society. My parents would often tell me that society plays a huge role in the success of an individual and everyone should do something to improve the society in his/her own ways. Thus, I always knew public or social service will be a huge part of my life and this determination was also one of the major factors in my deciding to major in Criminal Justice at both undergraduate and graduate levels. I completed my undergraduate in Criminology from University of South Florida with 3.5 GPA and am now pursuing my graduate degree in Criminal Justice with concentration in Critical Incident Management at Saint Leo University. My current cumulative GPA of 3.7 once again demonstrates my commitment to excellence in everything I do.

I decided to major in criminal justice because one cannot overstate the importance of a strong legal infrastructure in the economic and social progress of the society. This is why I developed immense respect for law enforcement officials who put themselves in harm’s way every way to protect the ordinary citizens of the society. Thus, a career in law enforcement is not just a profession but also service to the society. My family is engaged in philanthropy through family-based Jenkins Charitable Foundation and it was decided long ago I will eventually join the family foundation in the distant future. But things do not always go as planned and I may be joining the family foundation much sooner than originally thought.

This country may be the largest economy in the world but nothing escapes the laws of economics including the scarcity of resources. Even though American society has come a long way in terms of social progress, there is still much to be done. I believe in continuous learning and have been learning about philanthropy as much as I can. I have been able to gather some quite unexpected insights which show that even nonprofit sector has been going through tremendous changes and has been borrowing more and more from Corporate America. Nonprofit organizations now focus more on operating efficiency because they have realized that the challenges far exceed the limited resources they have and the emphasis is now on the maximum social return on each dollar spent. It was through my research I came to know about this program and as I learnt more about it, it was clear this program will provide me with a strong foundation towards my work at the family foundation.

In addition to my academic qualifications, I have acquired valuable work experience in a wide range of work environments which have helped me develop valuable soft skills such as communication, social skills, leadership, resources management, and critical analysis skills. My work experiences include an internship at Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office District 1, being a teacher’s assistant at a day school, and being a document controller at a for-profit company. In these different positions, I have interacted with a diverse group of individuals which is something I expect to experience again during my career in the nonprofit sector.

The program at the Nonprofit Leadership Center will not only help me learn how the leading nonprofit organizations operate today but will also provide me the opportunity to interact with other participants from diverse professional, cultural, and social backgrounds. I have no doubt the experience will significantly broaden my understanding and perspectives on the nonprofit sector and will also shape my leadership and management style at the family foundation.