“…the world will never be a utopia, but I think that every small action counts.”
— Melody Li, Health First Action-Based Scholarship Winner.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Melody Li, the winner of the Health First Challenge.
The challenge was to create a 2 minute video about a health-related issue and then translate it to another language to be shared in the community.
Melody created an amazing video about how a Mediterranean Diet can help with preventing dementia and won a $1,500 scholarship.
The scholarship was sponsored by The Gaisce Group, whose CEO and Founder is Sam Keif. He believes that giving back to the community is just as important as growing his business.
“I believe that the person I choose to receive this award will make a great impact to the field of healthcare.” — Sam Keif.
Tuan: Thank you so much for doing this with us! What is your “backstory”?
Hi! My name is Melody. I go to Boston Latin School. I was born in California, but moved to Boston in 3rd grade. I applied to a lot of colleges, so we’ll see how college applications go, but I do know that I will be a Biology major with a pre-med track in college.
Tuan: Can you share the feeling that you have when you know that you were the winner of the challenge?
I was so happy! I was really nervous the day of and this was the first scholarship that I have won so far, so when my name was announced, I was ecstatic! The gigantic check was also really cool because it was half my height.
Tuan: Did you happen to be good at video making or translating English to Chinese before you do the challenge?
I have actually been thinking about starting a Youtube channel because I really like filming and editing, but I wouldn’t exactly say I’m very good at it. With translating English to Chinese, I was absolutely lost before this challenge, but I had a great cousin (Fiona Chan) and an amazing friend (Wendy Li) to help me through it.
Tuan: Did you look at the resources offered on the site? Did they help to inspire you in any way?
I actually didn’t really use a lot of the resources offered on the site because when I saw the scholarship, I already had a topic in mind due to what I was learning in Biology class: nutrition. Also, I have always had a fascination with the brain, so I knew I wanted to find something that connected the two.
Tuan: What do you think makes your submission stand out? Can you share what went through your mind as you worked on the submission?
I think that the drawing animations I used to make the video stood out. While working on my submission, a lot of things were going through my mind, from changing my mind and not applying for the scholarship at all to freaking out about how I would fit all the information into such a short video.
Tuan: Did you happen to learn anything along the process?
I learned some Chinese characters and a lot about the Mediterranean style diet and dementia. I also learned that interviews are not as scary as they seem and that applying to scholarships can actually be fun.
Tuan: Why do you think it is important to have alternative scholarships like action-based scholarships in the community?
I think that having alternative scholarships are amazing for the community because not everyone is great at things like writing essays. Also, with action-based scholarships, it allows the participants to do research and learn something new about a topic or even about themselves. People are even given a chance to tap into their creative side with these scholarships. Action-based scholarships can also contribute to the community. An example would be this scholarship, which can provide an informative video for those who do not know English well.
Tuan: With your hard work, talents and skills how are you looking to create a better future?
There are so many things in the world that could change, but [even though] the world will never be a utopia, I think that every small action counts. Sure I would love to find the cure to cancer or the secret to dementia if I become a physician, but even if I don’t, I think just being the best doctor I can, is changing the world, or at least hopefully lessening the pain of someone else for a day. When I go to college, it will be the beginning of something new. I will bring my hard work and skills with me to pave my future with a balance of work and of course fun.
Tuan: Do you have any tips for future scholars who are looking to participate in an action-based scholarship?
A tip that I have is that even if you don’t think that you can get a scholarship, you should always try. If the scholarship involves something you are interested or passionate about it never hurts to try. You should always believe in yourself and even if you don’t get a scholarship it doesn’t define who you are and it really prepares you for any future rejection since you have already experienced it.
Tuan: Did you learn anything about company The Gaisce Group or Sam Kief the CEO who created the scholarship or the meaning behind the scholarship itself?
I learned a lot about Sam through my interaction with him through my interview and emails. Even if I hadn’t won this scholarship, I would have been glad that I made a great a new connection through Sam, who even said during my interview that even if I didn’t win the scholarship, Gaisce Group would still want to support my future journey through helping with finding things such as shadowing opportunities. This is amazing and shows how Sam and the company he created really cares about what they do.
Tuan: If you could have lunch with any person in this world, who would it be and why?
If I could have lunch with any person in the world it would probably be J.K. Rowling. I feel like I should want to have lunch with Einstein or someone scientific, but besides science, another passion of mine is reading. I feel that it is important for people to branch out and explore new things and I found my passion for reading through that. I would love to have lunch with J.K. Rowling because I want to meet the mind behind Harry Potter. I want to meet the person who could create such a beautiful, magical story and explore the more literary side of me.
Tuan: Thank you so much for participating in our scholarship and congratulation once again.
Thanks for having me! Good luck to all future scholarship applicants! :)
Check out Melody’s submission below:
