written by Alafair Turner and Chaltu Musse
Joyce Ivy Foundation’s Applicant Ambassadors are here to help you, the applicants! The Ambassadors are lifesavers when you’re in need of help, and you don’t know who to go to. Take a look at the story of Alafair and Chaltu to see the difference they can make,
Chaltu was a junior at Harding High School in St. Paul, MN. She hoped to attend Harvard Summer School, but she was unfamiliar with the Joyce Ivy Foundation. Because this was the first year JIF offered scholarships to Minnesota students, her counselors and school staff had never heard of JIF, and did not know how to help her with her application.
At times, Chaltu felt so distraught by the Harvard and JIF scholarship applications that she considered forgetting about them both. She needed help on her JIF essay, didn’t know how to navigate the Harvard Portal system, and frequently had questions about the JIF selection process.
However, Chaltu did not allow this to derail her from her goal of attending Harvard Summer School. She searched the JIF website for help and found the Applicant Ambassadors. Initially, she was scared to call someone she’d never met and felt slightly insecure about the questions she wanted to ask. What if they think my question is stupid? What if they write down my question, and it affects my chances of being accepted? Will they really be helpful, or will I still be confused? She reminded herself that she really wanted to spend the summer at Harvard, so she picked up the phone and called.
To her massive relief, Chaltu found the Ambassadors to not only be extremely helpful, but also really relatable. As it turns out, the Ambassadors were once in her position: JIF applicants filled with questions, who were once slightly intimidated by the application process as well. She was able to contact the ambassadors by text message at any time, and they were always quick to respond. When she had longer questions or concerns, she was able to call and even speak with them face-to-face through Google Hangouts. They guided her through the JIF application and even had some tips for her Harvard application as well. Chaltu was well on her way to completing both applications before the start of February; she was relieved to finally finish them when the day came.
Alafair, a friend of Chaltu’s, was also in the same position. Alafair was heavily involved with sports and extracurriculars at her school, so she struggled to find time for her JIF application. However, she was excited about her new acceptance to Stanford Summer College and did not want to lose the amazing opportunity to attend.
The March 1st deadline was quickly approaching, yet Alafair hadn’t completed her JIF application. She frantically texted her friend Chaltu, who had her application completed months in advance. She asked Chaltu what she did, and who guided her in the application process. Chaltu guided Alafair to the Applicant Ambassadors’ page on the JIF website, and Alafair contacted the ambassadors immediately. She was delighted to find that although the deadline was approaching, the team responded quickly, and provided all the help she needed to finish her application on time.
Months later, Chaltu and Alafair spoke to each other about their summer experiences. They had many different stories to share about the incredible sights they saw and the people they met, but one thing they had in common was that they were both wholly thankful they picked up the phone and reached out for help; it made the world’s difference.
So, dearest applicants, we are here for you! Ambassadors’ jobs are to help applicants finish their applications on time in several ways. We provide “office hours”, during which applicants can contact us with questions and concerns. The calendar of hours is only available to JIF applicants, so we recommend that you take advantage of it! We have been through the process and want to help you.
At times, Chaltu felt so distraught by the Harvard and JIF scholarship applications that she considered forgetting about them both. She needed help on her JIF essay, didn’t know how to navigate the Harvard Portal system, and frequently had questions about the JIF selection process.
However, Chaltu did not allow this to derail her from her goal of attending Harvard Summer School. She searched the JIF website for help and found the Applicant Ambassadors. Initially, she was scared to call someone she’d never met and felt slightly insecure about the questions she wanted to ask. What if they think my question is stupid? What if they write down my question, and it affects my chances of being accepted? Will they really be helpful, or will I still be confused? She reminded herself that she really wanted to spend the summer at Harvard, so she picked up the phone and called.
To her massive relief, Chaltu found the Ambassadors to not only be extremely helpful, but also really relatable. As it turns out, the Ambassadors were once in her position: JIF applicants filled with questions, who were once slightly intimidated by the application process as well. She was able to contact the ambassadors by text message at any time, and they were always quick to respond. When she had longer questions or concerns, she was able to call and even speak with them face-to-face through Google Hangouts. They guided her through the JIF application and even had some tips for her Harvard application as well. Chaltu was well on her way to completing both applications before the start of February; she was relieved to finally finish them when the day came.
Alafair, a friend of Chaltu’s, was also in the same position. Alafair was heavily involved with sports and extracurriculars at her school, so she struggled to find time for her JIF application. However, she was excited about her new acceptance to Stanford Summer College and did not want to lose the amazing opportunity to attend.
The March 1st deadline was quickly approaching, yet Alafair hadn’t completed her JIF application. She frantically texted her friend Chaltu, who had her application completed months in advance. She asked Chaltu what she did, and who guided her in the application process. Chaltu guided Alafair to the Applicant Ambassadors’ page on the JIF website, and Alafair contacted the ambassadors immediately. She was delighted to find that although the deadline was approaching, the team responded quickly, and provided all the help she needed to finish her application on time.
Months later, Chaltu and Alafair spoke to each other about their summer experiences. They had many different stories to share about the incredible sights they saw and the people they met, but one thing they had in common was that they were both wholly thankful they picked up the phone and reached out for help; it made the world’s difference.
So, dearest applicants, we are here for you! Ambassadors’ jobs are to help applicants finish their applications on time in several ways. We provide “office hours”, during which applicants can contact us with questions and concerns. The calendar of hours is only available to JIF applicants, so we recommend that you take advantage of it! We have been through the process and want to help you.
With advice, suggestions, and answers, we are just a text message, Google IM, or phone call away -- reach out! If you have an urgent question, go ahead and send it; if we don’t get back to you that day, we’ll still see it during office hours. We also provide cheat-sheets for each school, with basic information at your fingertips -- no more searching through page after page on a school’s website, scrolling through countless FAQs just to figure out what time curfew will be. The sheets will be posted on the JIF blog, and some of the details we’ll consolidate include dates, deadlines, and costs, along with facts about admissions, academics, housing, and student life. Basically, we are here to support and encourage applicants because the results are so rewarding.
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