Student Spotlight Series: Nick Barbosa
This week, we sat down with Nick Barbosa, the winner of ScholarJet’s “Young Advocate” competition, to learn more about his personal interest in ending youth homelessness and what made his ScholarJet submission stand out.
For Nick’s $1,000 winning scholarship submission, he created a presentation and wrote a compelling letter to a government official explaining how he would help homeless people in his community.
This competition was created by Y2Y, a student-run overnight shelter to provide a safe and affirming environment for young adults experiencing homelessness by employing a youth-to-youth model.
Tuan: Thank you so much for doing this with us! What is your backstory?
Nick: My name is Nick Barbosa; I am a recent grad from Boston Latin Academy and a rising freshman at Bentley University. I’m from the Roxbury area with ethnic roots from the Cape Verdean Islands. I intend to pursue one of Bentley’s unique majors, Creative Industries, to learn the business (largely marketing and advertising) behind industries similar to the music and gaming industries, etc.
Tuan: What feeling(s) did you have when you found out you were the winner of the Dream Chaser Competition?
Nick: I was very excited and proud of myself when I found out that I had won the Y2Y Youth Advocate competition! It was the first scholarship that I had won so I couldn’t have been more happy.
Tuan: What inspired you for your submission?
Nick: I had a friend that was experiencing homelessness. It was heartbreaking to me to see an 18-year-old struggling to get enough sleep and food each day. But he came to school every day as his typical hyper self and didn’t let his living situation bring him down.
Tuan: What do you think makes your submission stand out? Can you share what went through your mind as you worked on the submission?
Nick: As I was working on my submission, I tried to envision what I would want and need if I were homeless, while incorporating what my friend had suggested. I included self-made images, an interview with someone experiencing youth homelessness, and an in-depth letter providing a blueprint of the breadth and depth of resources that homeless youth could benefit from receiving.
Tuan: What did you learn throughout the submission process — about yourself, your inspiration and the community?
Nick: I learned about the painstaking patience necessary during the traditional scholarship process. It takes a long time to write an essay you’re proud of and it takes a long time to hear back.
Tuan: What did you learn about Y2Y and the meaning behind the scholarship?
Nick: I learned that there are actually organizations paying attention to youth homelessness and the positive impact thy can have on this underserved community. It means a lot to me that they are helping to diminish and prevent it.
Tuan: Why do you think it is important to have alternative scholarships like action-based scholarships in your community?
Nick: There are many people who are not strong in academics. Because of this, their essay skills may not be up to par with what is needed to write a scholarship essay worth remembering, let alone rewarding. Action-based scholarships allow these students to use their hands and produce something worthy of financial support. It’s also a more fair evaluation of one’s skills since it allows to look at a student’s passions and interests more holistically.
Tuan: With your hard work, talents and skills how are you looking to create a better future?
Nick: I want to help create a future where we are all accepting of one another no matter our race, ethnicity, height, weight, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
Tuan: What are two pieces of advice you have for future students who are looking to participate in an skills-based competition?
Nick: First, apply for anything that may resonate with you that you think you’ll be interested in doing. The more relevant a scholarship question is to you, the easier and more fun it will be to create. Secondly, never ignore the scholarships with a small amount. While you should dream big and try to get the $10,000 scholarships, there is typically a lot less competition for the the $500 or $1,000 scholarships because students often overlook these seemingly “insurmountable” opportunities; however, racking up a few of them can result in a lot of money.
Tuan: If you could have lunch with any person in this world, who would it be and why?
Nick: I would want to have lunch with vocalist and actress Amber Riley because she has become and idol of mine in terms of her career and the roles she has played.
Tuan: Thank you so much for participating in our scholarship and congratulation once again! We feel fortunate that you are a part of our mission and a member of our growing community.
You can learn more about Nick by connecting with him on LinkedIn.
