Discus Awards

Ronne Turner is the Associate Vice President of Enrollment & Dean of Admissions and Marketing at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.  She also authors the blog Northeastern Admissions: An Inside Look. 

There are many false ideas about what colleges and universities value in the decision process, from high school quotas to overloading on extracurricular activities. At Northeastern University, our primary goal in admissions is to seek out and build a talented and diverse student body that is best suited to take advantage of a Northeastern education. The key to Northeastern’s strength is experiential learning, or the dynamic integration of classroom study and work outside the classroom. With one hundred years of global leadership in the integration of study and practice, Northeastern offers an unparalled method of education that leads to infinite personal and intellectual growth.

Since experiential learning is at the heart of everything we do, we look for students that are engaged and successful in and outside of the classroom. Our admissions counselors seek students who don’t just see the world, they are shaping it – whether it be through involvement within the community, engaging in social justice activities in high school, or participating in international experiences that engages the diverse cultures and world beyond your doorstep.

You can start by getting involved in a couple of activities that interest you. We want you to enjoy high school and take advantage of the opportunities to explore, learn and experience new academic subjects, activities and friendships. Most college admissions officers are more impressed with students who have pursued coursework and activities based on genuine interest over those students who are simply motivated by what they think will look good on their college applications. Spend your high schools years clarifying your goals and values; working hard to earn the grades that will place you in the best position to achieve your dreams; and developing the interpersonal and leadership skills consistent with your aspirations.  ...continue reading

Filed under: Dean Turner • College Prep • Outside the Classroom • The Extracurricular Experience • College Admissions

It’s Friday again, which means it’s time to take you into the weekend with another edition of Guess the Group, where we introduce you to some outstanding Discus Awards winners who have a diverse range of achievements, but are tied together through one common thread. We’ll provide you with a brief description of each winner and three hints to help you guess what they all have in common. Once you think you know, click “continue reading…” to find out if you’re right! Now, on to this week’s group of winners:

Kylan Nieh – In the past three months, Kylan has launched two non-profit organizations. One of his NPOs – “Internetting Family” – teaches senior citizens how to use the computer and internet.

Kolby Keo – Kolby coordinated and hosted a school-wide fundraiser for the relief efforts in Haiti. In just two minutes, the program raised $6,400 for the Giving Children Hope Foundation.

Marquel Carter – In addition to being a highly-recruited starting quarterback on his school’s football team, Marquel speaks, reads, and writes Japanese fluently.

Tyler Janzen – A Rotary Club student of the month, Tyler was a top qualifier for the National Forensics League Tournament in both the duo and humor categories.

Kylee Haggerty – Kylee is the definition of a student athlete. She is both a member of the National Honors Society and a district tournament qualifier for tennis.

Your hints:

1) Relevant Attribute: Government
2) The common thread is an enormous commitment that requires extreme time management skills
3) Any one of these students could be the 2032 U.S. President-elect

What do these Discus winners have in common? Click below to find out…

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Filed under: Discus Dan • All-Around High School Students • Guess the Group

I want to introduce you to a new award for video game players created by Boy Scouts of America. Scouts can now be awarded a belt loop and academics pin for playing video games. This brings a whole new point to the popular argument that video games can be educational, it also means that video games are becoming more mainstream.

Available to the Tiger Clubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts, each scout must meet specific requirements to earn the award. To win the belt loop, there are three requirements that must be met. One of the requirements is that the scout has to learn how to play a new video game. Imagine not having to do chores because your parents knew you had to play video games all day for an award.

To earn the academics pin, they must have obtained the belt loop and meet five of nine additional requirements. Some of these requirements are quite fun. For example, in one requirement they have to teach an adult or friend how to play a video game. You can tell your grandparents to set aside their backgammon board game because it is time for a lesson in video games!

For more details of the requirements go to their video games award page. It is always exciting to see awards that recognize students for skills beyond good grades and test scores similar to the Discus Awards.

Filed under: Johnny 5 • College Prep • Outside the Classroom • The Extracurricular Experience

Deadline: June 7, 2010
Number of Scholarships Available: 10
Scholarship Amount: Up to $3,000
Past Winners:
2009 – Izzy and John
2008 – Sharon and Joshua
2007 – Andrienne and Zac

It’s prom season, and before you go out and buy that elegant dress or stylish tux, I want to make sure you’re aware that your prom wardrobe could earn you a $3,000 college scholarship. Duck Tape® Brand Duct Tape is once again running their Stuck at Prom College Scholarship Contest, which has become a tradition during prom season.

To win, you have to mesh some serious creativity with some heady artistic talent. You and your date must show up to the ball wearing garments made exclusively with duct tape and send in your picture as a couple, flaunting your adhesive outfits.

For an overview of the entire contest, visit the Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest home page.

Filed under: Discus Dan • College Prep • Financial Aid & Scholarships

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the April 2010 Discus Scholarship winner Kennedy Cooke-Garza and I asked her about everything from her favorite food to her foreseeable future. The following are some of the highlights from our conversation.

Discus Dan: Describe yourself in 5 words or less.

Kennedy Cooke-Garza: Artistic. Curious. Inventive. Innovative. Studious.

DD: Your art has taken so many forms. Do you have an artistic idol that you try to imitate?

KCC: No, I wouldn’t say I have an idol. I admire the works of some artists like Salvador Dali, M.C. Escher, and Da Vinci. Da Vinci is probably the closest to an idol because he was so involved in so many things besides art, like science and invention. I admire these artists’ work, but I try not to tailor my art to someone else’s style.

DD: Do you have a favorite color or a color that you use more often than others?

KCC: Probably red. More generally, I’d say bold colors…bright colors.

DD: How about a least favorite color?

KCC: My color range is pretty broad. The color scheme depends on the piece I’m working on at the time. If I had to say, though, I say probably monochromatic, dull colors.

DD: One of your artistic projects was painting a tiger with a friend that’s now hanging in your school’s gym. How long did it take the two of you to finish?

KCC: Over the course of three weeks last summer, we spent about 48 hours on it.

DD: How did that project come about?

KCC: My high school hired us to paint the tiger for our new gym wall. We’d done another mural of a tiger for the school – it’s the mascot – and after they saw that, they asked us to do one for the gym.

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Filed under: Discus Dan • All-Around High School Students • Meet the Discus Winner