2019 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
Trinity Diehlee
The reason I am applying
The reason I am applying for this scholarship is so I can earn a doctorate in mechanical engineering and become an inspiration for young girls entering S.T.E.M fields, as well as an advocate for members of the Pagan and LGBT communities in pursuing careers in science. As someone who is part of all three groups and has either experienced and seen people face discrimination because of things that have nothing to do with their abilities in science, I want to make strides to change that by furthering my education and paving the way for the next generation of engineers.
What Being a Pagan Means to Me
What does it mean to be a Pagan? To me being Pagan means being the pinnacle of
uniqueness, having a lifetime of learning and educating ahead of me, and an amazing community
of people that will love and support me no matter what.
Being Pagan means being able to bring a different perspective to a conversation, whether
it be something important like the political state of out country, or something as simple as where
the group should go grab a bite to eat. When I was younger, I hated the fact that I was never
allowed to talk about my religion and that it set me apart from my peers, but now that I’m older,
I really appreciate the fact that the friends I have now love me despite being raised Pagan.
Recognizing that made me realize that there was nothing wrong with the religion that I practiced,
I just had to wait and find the right people who could look past the label of “witch” and get to
know the real me.
It also means being more accepting of people despite their differences and getting to be
part of a community where I can be completely myself and not have to worry about facing
judgement. The friends I have made through the Pagan community have become the most
amazing support network I could have ever imagined and now that I’m a young adult, I’m trying
to pay that same support forward to the next generation of Pagans. When ever I think of the
friends I’ve made within the community, I get overwhelmed with all of the loving energy that
they have blessed me with and whenever I’m with them, I feel safe and loved. I get to meet so
many different and interesting people and get to hear their stories, often walking away with a
new perspective on life.
To me, being Pagan also means being an educator. I’m always so thrilled when people
want to learn more about my religion after I come out of the broom closet, and I often end up
learning more myself when someone asks a question that I don’t know the answer to and I have
to find out more for the both of us. I love getting the opportunity to teach witches and muggles
alike the histories of the holidays, what pointed hats and broomsticks are actually used for, and
why the Thor movies aren’t entirely accurate. Despite being a hereditary Pagan, like all followers
of the faith, I still have so much to learn about the divine world around me and what I can do to
lend myself to it. Having the opportunity to attend Convocation every year is such a blessing
because it allows me to learn about my faith from some of the best magic practitioners from
around the world, and I get learn more about myself along the way.
I am truly blessed that I was raised in such an incredible world and I can’t imagine life
without the Pagan community. To me, being Pagan means being unstoppable.
Hidden Figures: To Boldly Go
The passage I’ve selected is from the final chapter of the book, titled To Boldly Go, and
reflects on the women’s work at NASA before and after the launch of the Apollo 11 and also
discusses how the Space Program influenced 60’s pop culture which made great advances in the
Civil Rights Movement.
The women of color working in Langley’s West Area knew that they were playing a
large role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, but it wasn’t until the second half of the
decade that they saw how far their influence had reached. It also wasn’t until after the first
season of Star Trek had aired that Nichelle Nichols understood how pivotal her role as
Lieutenant Uhura was until Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told her he was a fan. Through the use of
strong tones and emotional appeal, Shetterly was able to create a very emotional, yet happy
ending to her already powerful and incredible story.
The author’s use of emotional appeals is apparent in the first paragraph of the chapter
where she describes women of all skin colors coming together to watch something they all
worked to achieve together and describes how “the time they shared in each other’s company
would forge lifelong friendships”(Shetterly 235). Later on in the passage, readers can also hear
the emotion in Dr. King’s voice as he tells Nichols “ You can’t leave the show,” and why her role
is important: “This is not a black role, this is not a female role… this is a unique role that brings to
life what we are marching for: equality” (Shetterly 243). At the end of the passage, we get a deep
insight into the mind of Katherine Johnson: she was afraid. She was afraid of the vast,
endless, final frontier, and all the things that could go wrong up there, and yet she would have
joined the astronauts up in space in a heartbeat, because in her mind “curiosity always bested
fear” (Shetterly 244). Throughout the passage, the author carefully crafts there words to get the
strongest reaction out of the reader and to do the intensity of the emotions felt by our subjects
justice.
As the emotions felt by the characters in the book changes with each passage, so does the
tone. The way that the author sets the tone is very similar to how the create the emotional appeals
in the book. They makes it seem that the entire country is looking to the skies for a better future
when she tells of the version of Earth that Star Trek is set in, “ its history of poverty and war now
in the past” (Shetterly 242). She makes it feel as though the entire country is holding their breath
“commanded by the sounds and grainy images issuing forth from the small black-and-white television”
(Shetterly 235). The author shifts the tone in this book quite frequently within the chapters because she
is writing about someone’s life and understands that the “tone” of the events in people’s lives is ever changing.
Through careful word choice and going into great detail, Margot Lee Shetterly was able
to create a very gripping, emotional, and inspiring piece of writing. The strong emotional appeals
and tone shifts made the reader feel like they were standing there, witnessing these events.
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS IN JANUARY 2020
Michigan Pagan College Scholarship Fund is offering a $500.00 Scholarship for a rising high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate. All applicants must LIVE in Michigan. Applicants must be 17 years of age or older, have a current GPA of 2.5 or higher, be Pagan, and currently accepted in a full time course of study in any accredited two or four-year college or university. Applicants must provide their most recent school transcript to establish state of residency, and GPA requirements. In addition they must also state the reason for applying for this scholarship in 250 words or less and submit a 500 word essay about what being a Pagan means to them. There is a third essay a 3 Page typed, double-spaced, MLA formatted pages on the scholarly topic of your choosing.
As always good luck to all those who apply.
Michigan Pagan College Scholarship Fund
