August Gardyne Awarded EXPLORER Scholarship from Aspire2STEAM.org
High School Senior Aspiring to Become a Doctor, Gardyne Uses Scholarship to Help Fund Mini-Med School Education
I have learned to accept myself and how important it is to say that I am me regardless of how the world feels.”
DES MOINES, IA, UNITED STATES, August 26, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “August is academically gifted with an insatiable passion for learning and a truly incredible work ethic,” said Cheryl O’Donoghue, CEO at Aspire2STEAM.org. “Never idle, August is a person who is constantly striving, while caring for family and triumphing over hardships.”— August Gardyne, EXPLORER Scholarship Recipient
August is also grateful and quick to acknowledge others for their kindness and support. “I have my parents who were willing to put education above all else, even in our darkest times when the cable would not turn on or when some bills were put off,” said August. “I have teachers who have helped further my learning, setting me up for success. I have many people who propel me further in my dream of becoming a psychiatrist and reaching the black, LGBTQ+, and poorer communities wherever I live one day.”
August, a high school senior, used the scholarship from Aspire2STEAM to help pay for Tufts University’s Mini-Med School, a summer program focused on immunology and virology, among other disciplines, recommended by a school counselor who encouraged August’s passion for medicine and psychiatry. In addition, August recently participated in Harvard University’s pre-college program studying beauty standards and society and Doctor’s on Board, a pipeline program for future black doctors. August has also invested countless hours taking extra classes through the Coursera platform focused on schizophrenia, the brain on drugs, psychology, and social psychology.
In addition to school, August interns at her parents’ company, Oneva—an organization that offers organizations an online platform for their employees to research and secure trusted in-home caregivers in their community. Also, until recently, August helped take care of their grandparents. “For years, I cooked and cleaned every night, while staying in their home with them. After my grandfather passed, I continued to visit my grandmother every day, cooking for her, helping her manage medications, and spending time talking. The experience helped me learn that I’ve been blessed with excellent cooking instincts, and I love to make other people happy by cooking for them, and though it was difficult at times, I would go through all of it again and again.”
There were years when school, work, and family pressures began to overwhelm August who found strength in pursuing new learning experiences, one of which led to winning third place in the psychology section at the Alameda County (California) Science fair. “But it’s not my awards that make me stand out, it’s my passion,” said August. “As a genderfluid, bisexual, black person whose family has a low income, I have learned to accept myself and how important it is to say that I am me regardless of how the world feels. As well, I am a giver who tutors people completely for free and always makes time for anyone who needs me. I want to give back to all the communities that I am a part of. All around, I like to think that I know who I am right now, and I embrace all my many flaws, triumphs, and life events, some that have made me question everything I knew. I stand out because I am who I am, and I accept that wholeheartedly.”
ABOUT…
Aspire2STEAM.org is a charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We provide scholarships and mentoring to young women and girls who are working hard—aspiring—to achieve careers that require education in science, tech, engineering, the arts or math…and they could really use a hand up over the incredible barriers of student debt and rising education costs, and the real, ever-present opportunity barriers that still keep them out of most male-dominated industries. These young women are doing their part, let’s help them by doing ours.
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Cheryl O'Donoghue
Aspire2STEAM
Cheryl@Aspire2STEAM.org
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August Gardyne, EXPLORER Scholarship Recipient from A