Discus Awards

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to one of the first 2010-2011 Discus Awards winners, Sasanka Jinadasa. A rising senior from the great state of California, Sasanka was recognized for her outstanding achievements in the areas of academics, community service, and other achievements.

Sasanka’s impressive résumé begins with more than 600 hours of community service. She has not only helped rebuild high schools in Sierra Leone with the Kposowa Foundation, but also raised hundreds of dollars for the foundation at her school’s community service fairs. Sasanka also volunteers with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund's “Walk to Cure Diabetes,” raising money to help fund research for a cure for juvenile diabetes. She has been recognized for her work by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund with an excellence award.

With a 4.0 GPA, combined 2370 on her SAT, and a 34 on her ACT, there’s no questioning Sasanka’s smarts. When you combine her intellect with her ability to be quick on her feet, you get a highly decorated Speech and Debate team member. Among her Speech and Debate awards are “First Place for Package Deal Speaking” in the areas of: Impromptu, Dramatic Interpretation, Extemporaneous, and Student Congress, a “Superior in Impromptu Speaking” from the Southern California Debate League, two “Pursuits of Excellence in Speech and Debate” for the years 2009 and 2010, and a “Self-Expression award for speaking” from Los Angeles County's Junior Miss.

Sasanka Jinadasa is a highly impressive young woman. To read more about her achievements, please visit her winner’s profile.

Do you know an amazing high school student? Nominate them for a Discus Award today!

Filed under: Discus Dan • All-Around High School Students • Discus Award Winner of the Day

Congratulations to all you graduating or graduated high school seniors out there! Graduating high school is no small accomplishment, and here at the Discus Awards we encourage all of you to continue to pursue your passions as you make the transition into the next chapter of your life.

For many of you, that next step is one into the world of college. Over the course of the past year, you’ve applied for financial aid in the form of federal funding (the FAFSA) and college scholarships. However, the cost of college is extremely high and I’m sure you’re still looking for last-minute scholarships. We’ve rounded up a few of these opportunities. Be sure to sign up for these late-deadline scholarships before it’s too late!

If you invented a machine that could produce free energy, what would you do with it? Your answer to that question could be worth $2,500. All you have to do is write your answer in three paragraphs using less than 1,000 words and submit it to awards@jamisonresearch.com. The format of the application is pictured on the awards’ web site. Each essay is scored by three separate Jamison Research employees out of 100 points. Your average score will be your overall score. The winner of the award will be announced before July 24, 2010.

Click here to apply for this award.

Cappex “I Don’t Want To Pay For College” Scholarship - Summer I Deadline: June 30, 2010 Amount: $1,000 Awards Available: 1

Don't have a 4.0 GPA and a 2400 SAT? Want to be recognized for excelling in the areas that interest you most? “I Don’t Want To Pay For College” is a sentiment shared by millions of students and a college scholarship offered by Cappex, a college search web site. This scholarship mirrors the belief of the Discus Awards that students are so much more than their grades and test scores. The scholarship will be given to students with the most well-rounded Cappex profiles. To apply, you must have a Cappex profile.

Click here to apply for this scholarship. 

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

Lucy Gubernick was the recipient of the May 2010 Discus Scholarship and I’m excited to share a conversation I had with this impressive young woman with you all. I hope you enjoy what she had to say as much as I did.

Discus Dan: When did you decide or realize you were going to complete your required credits in three years?

Lucy Gubernick: In my sophomore year, I talked to my guidance counselor and together we weighed out all courses I was planning on taking and the credits I would receive from them. Since I was already a year ahead in Math, we figured out by doubling up on English one year I’d be able to complete my required credits in three years. So, with my sights set on the idea that I was going to have a year to follow any dream I wanted, I put in the extra time and completed my credits early.

DD: When did you decide to participate in KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program)?

LG: It wasn’t until the beginning of junior year that I even started thinking about what I was going to do for my senior year. I called various internship opportunities and looked for possible service options, still not sure if I wanted to go abroad or stay close by. My godfather then told me about KIPP, which was great because I was really looking for a teaching opportunity. It’s turned out to be a fantastic experience. The charter school I teach at has given me a lot of responsibility, which really makes it unique from the other teaching programs I looked at.

DD: What’s the best part of your teaching job?

LG: The students. I love the tutoring times during the day when I get to work with students one-on-one. It is great getting to know the students, learning their personalities, and working through the “a-ha!” moments with them when they are able to grasp a concept we’ve been working on together.

DD: What’s the most difficult part of your teaching job?

LG: The most difficult part is the academic struggle the students go through. You realize that you can’t just input information in students’ brains; they have to learn it themselves. Also, working in the inner-city, a lot of my students come from rough backgrounds and have a lot to deal with outside the classroom.

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

Happy New Year! Okay, so maybe you won’t see Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest until late December, but today marks the first day of the 2010-2011 Discus Awards program. This may be confusing to some, especially considering that the 2009-2010 Discus Awards program is still running.

How can we be running the 2009-2010 Discus Awards and the 2010-2011 Discus Awards programs simultaneously? To answer that question, and other questions about the ’09-’10/’10-’11 switch, we need to change formats…

Q: When does the 2009-2010 Discus Awards program end?

A: All nominations for a 2009-2010 Discus Award must be received by 11:59PM EST on Monday, May 31st. The final 2009-2010 Discus Scholarship will be awarded on Wednesday, June 30th.

Q: When does the 2010-2011 Discus Awards program start?

A: Today! Any nomination received on June 1st or later will be considered for the 2010-2011 program. The first 2010-2011 Discus Scholarship will be awarded on Thursday, September 30th.

Q: If I won a 2009-2010 Discus Award, do I have to apply again?

A: Yes, even if you won a Discus Award this past school year, you must apply for a Discus Award on June 1st or later to be eligible for a 2010-2011 Discus Award.

Q: When is the deadline to apply for a 2010-2011 Discus Award?

A: The final deadline to apply for a 2010-2011 Discus Award will be 11:59PM EST on Tuesday, May 31, 2011. However, to be eligible for all ten $2,000 Discus Scholarships awarded during the 2010-2011 school year, you must submit your nomination by 11:59PM EST on Tuesday, August 31, 2010. To be eligible for each scholarship after that, you must complete your nomination by the final day of the previous month.

Still have questions? We’ve got more answers in our FAQs!

Filed under: Discus Dan