Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship Winners Selected!

Erin al'Denael

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First, many thanks to @Calen Velervron for caring so deeply about this initiative. You worked hard, and I appreciate the effort you put forth. :hug Second, many thanks to the current Hall for reading, analyzing, and making the difficult choices in determining our winners. We received 14 undergraduate applications, and 5 graduate applications. Without further ado, here are our 2020 scholarship recipients!

Undergraduate Scholarship Recipient: Keaton Roberts

Winning Essay:
I am in the Energy Systems Electrical Engineering Technologies Program at Idaho State University. There I learn how the various processes and methods we use to make electricity, distribute, and use it to its potential. This field is becoming more important as our world demands much more energy as it has in the past. When I graduate, I plan on going into power generation, where I hope to help develop and install new green ways to make our electricity.

My chosen field can help me exemplify a Servant of All by delivering one of the most important resources that is used in our modern society. Without electricity and people with skills that I will learn, our entire lives would be different, for example we will be back to using candles for lights and horse buggies, essentially going back in time to the 17th century. Our society heavily relies on electricity to function, from our normal everyday lives, to manufacturing our products and growing the food that we eat.

Other than being essential for our society, the main ways that electricity is generated can be harmful to the environment and people, such as coal plants having Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gasses as a byproduct or wind and solar farms taking up vast amounts of land. I want to be able to develop other ways to produce the demanded energy that does not have such negative drawbacks. One method that I would like see more utilized would hydrogen fuel cells. They are used mostly in cars and not yet been unitized to maximum potential. Hydrogen fuel cells take hydrogen and oxygen cells and generates electricity with a byproduct of heat and water vapor. The water molecules could be then broken apart and placed back into the system. If this could be developed to be used on a greater scale than a car, society’s need of energy could be stated with no negative emissions. Research and development such as this is what would help consider me as a servant of all.

Graduate Scholarship Winner: Virginia Mullins

Winning Essay:

My entire life, my family has helped nurture a servant’s heart in me and to always be willing to lend a helping hand to those in need. When I was five years old, my father had his fifth and final brain surgery resulting from a Pineloma brain tumor. He has had a brain shunt since 1981 to keep his nervous system and mind functioning. The capabilities of the shunt helped to pique my interest in the impact that research and design have. I knew I wanted to be the person who designed such devices that allow others to continue living with a healthy body, and I am in school to become capable of achieving this. All people whether Seanchan or Andoran need a healthy body to survive, and I want to spend my life providing the means and solutions to those currently without it. This led me to get my bachelor’s degree in biological engineering and pursue undergraduate research in solutions for heart calcification and disease.

I worked in a polymer science lab at the University of Southern Mississippi in the summer of 2019 researching thiol-ene membranes capable of separating carbon dioxide as a solution to the current and devastating dilemma of climate change, and I hope to continue this research as I enter the doctoral program there. The climate affects everyone from the Two Rivers to the Borderlands, and no matter how small my contribution may be, I want to do my part to provide solutions to fixing the problems we are facing.

I hope to emulate Verin Sedai of the Brown Ajah not just professionally, but in all areas of my life. She saw a problem in the White Tower’s ability to identify the Black Ajah and devoted her life to solving it while asking nothing in return except to be remembered of the Brown and not of the shadow. The woman I want to be each day is someone who goes out of her way to help others while asking nothing in return and takes it upon herself to solve problems she sees in the world just as Nynaeve solved the problem of gentling because she refused to believe it could not be healed. I am going to graduate school for polymer science and engineering because I have seen problems in the world, and I want to fix them. Solutions to problems like the Black Ajah, gentling, and climate change may seem impossible but not to Verin, not to Nynaeve, and not to me. Engineering is all about solving problems, and I want to use my drive, skills, and education to be a servant of all.

Congratulations, Keaton and Virginia! I hope your dreams and aspirations to become Servants of All bear fruit. :)
 

Qamra Daielin

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Congratulations to both of you!!!
 

Jahily al'Karee

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Congrats y’all! :)
Your essays are wonderful - best of luck as you continue in your chosen fields!
 

Onis O'Leia

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Congratulations to you both!
 

Kelgan al'Moranwin

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Congratulations to you both!!
 

Ignis al'Caleum

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Congratulations to you both!!!
 

Kelgan al'Moranwin

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Congratulations to you both :D
 

Leala ni al'Dareis t'al'Caleum

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Congrats to both the winners!!
 

Nandi el'Shahir

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Congrats and good luck!
 

Jocasta Braithe

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Congratulations!
 
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Congratulations :joy
 

Erin al'Denael

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I received a message today from Virginia, and am passing it along to the community:
Dear Tar Valon,
I want to thank each and every one (and Ajah) of you for awarding a sheepherder like me the Robert Jordan memorial scholarship. Wheel of Time is my favorite book series, and I am honored to have been given this scholarship before I start graduate school. Polymer science may not be an illuminator's guild, but it is my passion, and I'm grateful to y'all for supporting it. I plan to use my doctorate and the time I spend getting it to serve others (but not like in a cannibal way, in a helpful way).
 

Jocasta Braithe

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I love that message! :love
 
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