Ridgefield Park, NJ--Samsung Techwin America’s Electronic Imaging Division has announced the ten high school students who each earned $1,000 scholarships.
Students were asked to submit up to a 300 word essay answering the question “Is technology critical to a live presentation? Or is it just a crutch?”
“On behalf of Samsung, it is my honor to announce the winners of our 2011 Scholarship Essay competition,” said Richard Bellomy, VP of Sales for the Electronic Imaging Division. “The quality of the compositions we received was impressive. We found the essays to be persuasively crafted, filled with originality, and infused with the indomitable spirit that is indicative of our youth. I would like to congratulate the ten winners and thank everyone who participated.”
Students were asked to submit up to a 300 word essay answering the question “Is technology critical to a live presentation? Or is it just a crutch?” The papers were judged on original thinking, relevance to the real world, and writing quality.
The ten winners for 2011 are:
Sam Blitz, Jess Schwartz Academy (Scottsdale, AZ)
John Fuller, Seneca High School (Wattsburg, PA)
Colin Jacobsen, White Bear Lake Area (White Bear Lake, MN)
Amelia Ricketts, Plainview-Old Bethpage (Plainview, NY)
Jaclyn Nguyen, Westchester Academy (Houston, TX)
Karla Dia-Hernande,z Tift County (Tifton, GA)
Alexa Suess, Greenport High School (Greenport, NY)
Joshua Yang, University City (San Diego, CA)
Natalie Roy, Franklin High School (Franklin, MA)
Garrett Montague, Chariho Regional (Wood River Junction, RI)
A few thoughts from some of the winners:
“Ultimately, nothing can ever replace that true ‘je ne sais quoi’ quality of a charismatic and captivating speaker. The truly gifted orator melds human contact and technological tools, creating a synergy of purpose and imagination, which neither can produce on its own.” - Amerlia Ricketts
“Technology provides another element to a presentation that will ensure it is all it can be. This is why technology is no longer the advancement, or crutch, of the twentieth century but instead the norm of everyday life in the twenty-first.” - John Fuller
“In the end, a great presentation is always about the speaker and the message. But the best speakers realize that strategic use of the tools of technology will help their message achieve maximum impact.” - Colin Jacobsen
“In these times where most things are done digitally it’s time to change our thinking about public speaking. As long as you have an idea, and it’s spoken from the heart, this technology will not only aid you in sharing it, but will also help in changing the world through the collaboration of humankind.” - Alexa Suess
Visit samsungscholarship.com to view all of the winning essays and to register for the 2012 competition.
