The Daylon E. Kinney scholarship is awarded annually to student who will be attending an accredited university in 2006 or 2007. The scholarship was designed to further the education of a deserving student. The Daylon E. Kinney scholarship program has been successfully awarding scholarships for 2 years.
Scholarship Value: $100 - $2000 - depending upon the quantity and quality of applications
The details of this year’s scholarhip(s) are listed below:
Eligibility:
• Will be attending an accredited university in 2006 or 2007
Requirements:
• Submit essay to daylon@daylon.com
• Include name, address, and a contact number
• Essay topic: “In fewer than 600 words describe your most interesting college spring break experience. Explain how this experience influenced your life and why you believe you are deserving of the Daylon E Kinney scholarship.
You must submit an essay in fewer than 600 words that describes your most interesting college spring break experience. Explain how this experience influenced your life and why you believe you are deserving of the Daylon E. Kinney scholarship.
Essay must be submitted to: daylon@daylon.com before deadline: December 15, 2006. Please include your name, address, and a contact number. The winner of the Daylon E. Kinney scholarship will be announced two weeks after the deadline.



Daylon E. Kinney Scholarship
Driving down to Florida, twenty one hours long, every year for Spring Break starts to get kind of old after a while. We stop at all the same gas stations, same restaurants, and same rest stops. It’s all the same, year after year. But last year, year two thousand and six was different, and I will never forget it.
As usual, we drove down to Florida. My mom, dad, and brother all piled in my dads Ford F-150 truck and were on our way. Just like every other year, we get five miles down the road and realize we forgot something, so we had to turn all the way around and go back home. Then, we were on our way. We left the house around three in the late afternoon, drove for 3 hours, and then we stopped and ate at Bob Evans for dinner. That’s my mom’s favorite restaurant. We sat down, ate, and then left. We were In and out of the restaurant within an hour. Back on the road we go. My dad drove for about 6 hours straight, and then my mom and dad switched drivers. My brother and I were asleep. Once we get in cars for a long time, we can’t help but fall asleep. My mom drove for a few more hours while my dad slept, and then he woke up and they switched back, that’s when my dad drove us for the rest of the trip to Nokomis Florida. Finally we arrive around two in the afternoon the next day. Man, was I ever happy to be at our Florida house.
Immediately my brother and I headed to the beach. I mean come on, its eighty eight degree weather, you’d be crazy not to go to the beach. Hundreds and hundreds of people cover the large spread of Siesta Keys Beach. The sand is crystal white, and oh so clean. I love this beach. My brother and I fold out of chairs, sit down, and begin to tan. My brother decided to go in the water and surf, and I told him to be careful, I was going to take a nap. Little did I know, my brother made his way down to the beach to try and catch bigger waves. I had no idea he did this. Hours go by, and I finally wake up to take a dip in the ocean, and my brother was no where to be found. I didn’t begin to worry all at once, I just figured he had to go to the bathroom and took off for an out house. But I was wrong. I sat there in my chair, looking for him, hoping he would come back, but he never did. That is when I started to worry. I grabbed my cell phone and started walking down the beach. Yelling, “Kristopher, Kristopher!!!†and he never answered. I completely freaked out and called my parents to have them come down to the beach and help me find my brother. They arrived about 5 minutes after I called. They asked me question after question, and I didn’t have an answer to any of them. All I could do was cry because I had lost my little brother by not watching him. What was I thinking? It was about eight o’clock, and the beach started to clear out. My mom, dad, and I split up and went different ways down the beach. He had to be here somewhere. We looked and looked. Finally, we had found him.
My brother was at the complete opposite end of the beach than we started out at, and was with an older guy. This guy happened to be a lifeguard walking on the beach and he saw my brother by himself. He had saw that my brother was trying to surf, but couldn’t catch any waves. That’s when he tried to teach him. My brother loves to surf, actually, he loves being in the water. When the lifeguard finally taught my brother how to surf, and my brother got the hang out it, he didn’t want to leave the spot that he was at. He was having the time of his life. On the other hand, I was freaking out, my mom and dad wouldn’t let go of my brother for anything. I was really irresponsible that day. I don’t know what I was thinking. That day, I knew I let my parents down by not watching my brother.
I love my brother with all my heart, and I’m so glad he was at least with a life guard, someone trying to protect him, rather than someone that wouldn’t. To this day I’m always worried about who my brother is with, where he is going, how long he is going to be, and when he will be home. That day completely changed my life. I’m so glad I have a brother like him.
Besides the incident of losing my brother for hours and hours, the rest of my Florida vacation was amazing. We went to Universal Studios and a huge water park. That was a blast. We all got very tan. I can’t even count how many pictures we took, but it sure was a lot. I love going to Florida and I can’t wait to go this year.
Thank you,
Kristen Wells
Daylon E. Kinney Scholarship
Some young individuals in colleges are looking for different verities of spring break destinations. Some want to party hard and live it up and some have to be at home and work to earn money. Years ago, my competition once told me, “Money is evil out there. Always use your mind and spend it wisely on something you really want to explore in your life.†That statement has stuck in my mind from that day. I am the person who likes to learn something new out there and create memories with the friends she loves at once. This freshman year at Rochester Institute of Technology, the weather was horribly gloomy with a bittersweet cold. It snowed for weeks. The weather does not bother me because I enjoy the beautiful snowflakes and the rhythmic flow of cold weather daily; however there is one thing that truly bothers me a lot. The sun. I miss the warmth and brightness. The fact is that a person who is under the sun for more then a two hour period is the more likely to gain the best therapy ever.
My best friend, Caitlin, invited her best friend, David, my boyfriend, Bryan, and I to Bradenton, Florida where Caitlin was born and still lives with her family. I never got the chance of exploring in Florida and its culture and lifestyle. The next day, Bryan and I bought tickets for the spring destination: Bradenton, Florida in March 2007 for eleven days.
One of the most vivid memories in Rochester before I flew to Florida was that I had a hard time leaving my Uggs boots my sister had bought me for Christmas. I wear them daily to keep my feet warm in the cold Rochester. However, I bravely walked out in the snow with my flip flops because I could not wait to see the Florida sun and experience so many things with them.
As the spring break started, Caitlin took all of us for a boat ride to the sandbar to snorkel around for the spider crabs, sea shells, starfish, a school of fish, and sand dollars. I collected a lot of amazing sand dollars. Caitlin’s father’s friend, Mr. Keith, a firefighter and devoted fisherman, gave us a wonderful opportunity to fish in the ocean for a bunch of Sheep-head fish. We captured almost fifteen of them in a single fish net. Sheep-head fish have the shape of humans’ teeth. Despite its appearances, we ate them the next day and they were deliciously excellent.
We went to the Salvador Dali Museum to see the original paintings of a very well-known Surrealist Italian artist, Salvador Dali. I have always been inspired by his paintings and the artist’s unique “stuck-up†mustache. David and I have gotten to know each other well by learning the fact that Salvador Dali is one of our very favorite artists. Throughout spring break, we went to the MOTE Marine Laboratory and Jungle Gardens. Caitlin’s Dad Jim, who is a firefighter, took us to his firefighter station for the fire cadet session, and other countless activities. We also went to the beaches several times to have a tanning competition.
The most hilarious and embarrassing moment in Florida was that Bryan snored his exhausted head off on the beach. I decided to put some Tortilla chips on his chest. This shadow rushed over my head and left me with such a chilly breeze. IT WAS A ARMY SEAGULL ATTACK! They flapped wildly all over and snatched the food with its beaks on Bryan’s chest. Bryan woke up, freaking out and leaving my friends and I laughing hard in tears. The next day, a bunch of seagulls could not resist their comfort to poop on me after snatching more of the Tortilla chips on my back! Bryan did his payback well.
On the last day of our spring break, we went on a double date at the Piers, a restaurant on the water, all night and flew back to the cold Rochester with hundreds of amazing photos, experiences, and most of all, a closer friendship. I do not mind going back to Florida again and enjoying all of those experiences while making some new ones also!
Thank you,
Gea Casasco
My most interesting college spring break experience has its own advantages and disadvantages. My father had two heart attacks in one day. I went to the hospital and viewed my father hooked up to tubes. He now has to carry pills every where he goes. This is obviously the disadvantage of my spring break. However, since that day I have known that I would work in the medical field, no matter what position I may fulfill.
At this date, my family had seen better days. My grandpa, from my mothers’ side, had died and since his funeral, my family had basically disintegrated. My grandmother, from my fathers’ side, had come to Florida for a two week vacation. All of my family members were either not speaking or were bickering none stop. Needless to say, my grandmother had enough and said she had changed her flight for an earlier date. The next morning my father had gone to work, as he always had and I was awakened by arguing so I figured it would be a regular day. Until later that day someone in the household received a phone call informing my family that my father had had a heart attack at work and was taken to Memorial hospital. Fortunately, my grandmother had not left yet.
It was no time to be happy but I was relieved by the fact that my family had pulled together and was trying to get along. When we arrived at Memorial hospital, the first thing we did was get our visitor passes. I was in complete shock when I walked into urgent care and found my father all hooked up with tubes in almost every body part. All of a sudden the blame and insults started flying from every family member’s mouth. Eventually the Doctor walked into the room and told us to lower our voices and to have consideration for my father. The Doctor informed my family and that my father had had not only one miner heart attack but two heart attacks.
Since then, not only has my family either mended fences or broken off ties with each other, I have decided to go to school for medical. I am now attending A.T.I. in Fort Lauderdale for Medical Assisting. I am planning to finish my M.A. degree and then return for a Diagnosis Ultrasound Technician degree. Now, every time I start to argue with either a family member or my boyfriend I am reminded of how arguing and stress can cause the human body to react. These two facts of my present life are the only advantages of my college spring break. I learned a lot, I still have the best man in my life, and I am one of few twenty year olds who know what career I will spend my life fulfilling.
I would really appreciate it if I had some scholarships to complete school and accomplish my dream goal. I can not afford to pay for schooling by myself. Both of my parents have signed papers stating the fact that they will not and are not helping with my schooling and the government does not consider me an independent because of my age, so I can not get grants. My mother kicked me and my sisters out at a very young age for her boyfriend at the time, because he made her choose. I now live one my own, and I am up to my neck in school loans, hospital bills, and other bills. I am a full time employee as well as a full time student. I am in the process of trying to repair and improve my life.
my most memoriable spring break is in 2007 this year. This is when I began to take a serious look at my life. I was divorced two times in my life and had lost everything. I started to date again, and that brought me nothing but trouble. I was abused and my self esteem came to nothing. I watched the college kids and how they were getting their futures started and mine was just sitting on hold. I look at the dreams I gave up along time ago, to raise my children. Three of my children were stollen from me in 1997 from their father, as I lay in a coma fighting for my life. I went through months of rehab for I had a closed head injury. My second marriage was alright until he kept blaming everything on my head injury. I was brought down to nothing within myself of years of verbal and physical abuse. Now I am a mom struggling to make things work, but I am doing it, and its time to get on with my goals and start getting me back. I am currently in academy of massage theropy and loving every minute of it. The extra income from scholarships would help me out. So the spring break I look at this most, will be this year, for I’ve begun to live again.
On March 19th year 2007, I took a flight down to Salt Lake City in Utah and had the privilege of meeting a handsome group of kids who’s really excited about enrolling into college after high school. I actually volunteered my service to visit a school to be a student aid for one day, but it turned out to be a great inspiration. It was so memorable because I never knew so many kids at that age would actually take in consideration of college enrollment. And challenging as college is expected to be, these kids seemed ready and willing.
I will never forget this kid. A thirteen year old boy name Thomas Moore, wanted to be a dentist. What thirteen year old boy you know one day hopes of becoming a dentist? He would trail me everywhere I went across the class room, just to get an idea of what people of my age group does. He witnesses me helping his fellow class mates then out the empty sky he asked me, “How can I know the things you know”?
At that moment I said to myself that I can inspire kids to want to better there education.
That experience truly influenced me to accomplish my career goal in health care. Now knowing how important most kids are about education, I’m going to do everything in my power to keep these kids healthy and strong. If you was to award me this grant, I will place this grant into the benefit of me, others and commend you for the opportunity. Take Care!
Thank You,
Edward Walker
Is this scholarship open to current high school seniors? If so, the essay topic is not really applicable. Can current year hs seniors use a prior summer experience?
Spring Break, from elementary school to college is a break that all students look forward to. It is a break that can consist of events as simple as spending quality time with your family, to receiving 15 minutes of fame by being exposed on girls/guys gone wild. It is also a break in which, like Christmas, many memories are embarked within the minds of students.
From spring break 1993 to spring break 2007, 2007 is the most memorable for me. It is a spring break that I have anticipated as soon as I entered college. I was going to be turning 21 and thoughts of going to Miami, Cancun, and Jamaica could not leave my mind. Unfortunately, my spring break of 2007 was not at all experienced in that way.
Instead for spring break 2007 I was able to reunite with the love of my life Tasha. Tasha and I have been going through a long distance relationship since May 16, 2006. That was the day I left StonyBrook University and went home to Columbus Ohio. On that day our hearts were torn 606 miles apart from the distance that separates us.
Being that Tasha and I were in a long distance relationship, we did not see each other often. So for spring break 2007, I drove to Albany, New York to spend much needed time with my “Pookie Buttâ€. When I arrived at Tasha’s apartment, I was really excited to see her, although I was in great grief from the toll that our relationship has taken on her. Tasha seemed to have lost a lot of weight and she was not the “gee golly happy going Pookie Butt†that I knew.
Through talking to her, Tasha finally admitted to me that our long distance relationship has entrenched her in a depression. She possessed all the symptoms of depression and was scared. I’m no expert, but I knew that something needed to be done. I felt like my “Pookie Butt†was deteriorating right before my eyes and the most logical solution to this problem would be to break up and go our separate ways.
Sitting in silence on her couch the thought of separating from the love of my life was too much to swallow and created a volcanic reaction within my heart. I looked Tasha square in the eye and told her that I would apply to Albany University and if I were accepted I would transfer. Tasha came shooting into my arms like a missile as her eyes were gleaming with gay tears. I held her close to my heart as we both took in the thought, knowing that I just made a promise that would be hard to keep.
The reason for this is because I do not come from a family of wealth. I received my acceptance letter from Albany University and unfortunately my financial aid package is not sufficient enough for me to keep my promise. Although I may lack the financial means to continue my higher education, I do not lack the ambition, determination, or motivation. I am a very adaptable person who tries to excel in any environment.
I plan to major in psychology and to later go on to medical school and specialize in psychiatry to counsel people with problems. I am also interested in studying medicine, and hopefully be able to make breakthroughs in treatments for mental disorders. My experience during spring break of 2007 has influenced me to come to the rescue of my “Pookie Butt†and our relationship. I can longer harbor the grief and the deterioration of my “Pookie Buttâ€.
I sumbitted my essay yesterday 05-15-2007 at about 4PM. I did not see it posted with the other essays so I resumbitted it today. Can I be notified if my essay will still be reviewwd.
I also had trouble posting my essay, I’m going to resend it now but please let me know if I should email it directly to you.
I was truly a child of the 21st century. I always studied best sitting in coffee shops, I was accustomed to 30 second popcorn, and I always liked being busy. My life had been acceptable in my eyes since I had what I considered to be success; great family, friends, and grades, and I was content.
So of course, when I was nominated during my junior year to travel through America with other North Carolina teens, I jumped at the opportunity and auditioned right away. What had I to lose? I wanted to be involved in more of a variety of activities besides the theatre, dance, and orchestra that I had been studying since I was four. I had been whitewater rafting about four times, but I had never done anything outdoorsy to this extent.
Once I was accepted, I began preparing by running a mile and a half everyday in my neighborhood, and I read John Steinbeck novels to try to get a better idea of the America I would be seeing. Even after all of my preparations, though, I did not expect the change in myself as a result of living outdoors for a month without any technology to speak of.
My friends at home thought I was strange to want to camp outside for 23 days, and I wasn’t so sure about it either. I found out that I wasn’t the only apprehensive one on the first night of my trip, when I huddled in a circle with my new friends, our fingers in the grass, and whispered about how strange it was to be sleeping there when only the night before we were in our own beds.
Little by little as the trip wore on, my friends and I got used to the idea of living without technology. Since we were not allowed to call home until after hiking the Grand Canyon and with no interaction with the outside world, we consisted of only ourselves and our bus. At first I worried that I would miss my favorite television shows, but found that entertaining each other was just as enjoyable. We made our own entertainment, playing true or dare on the bus and cards at night. We cooked our own meals, which were oftentimes atrocious (imagine 16 teenagers cooking for a lot of people in under an hour and confined to a budget) but we rarely complained because what was food? It was only energy, and it didn’t have to be gourmet to serve its purpose.
After some time on the trip passed, I realized that the absence of technology was the one thing that allowed all of us to bond together the way we did. Instead of interacting through computers and telephones, we were spending real time together and relating in a more natural way. The very computers back home that were supposed to connect us to each other instead drove us further apart as a poor substitute for face to face time. I felt closer to a group of people after only a few weeks than I did my friends at home because we were spending more casual time together.
I especially noticed this special connection when observing my everyday endeavors. We all kept journals throughout the trip, and I was writing in mine on one dusty ride through Nevada’s deserts when I decided to go back to my earlier pages, written during the first few days. The one detail that leaped out at me immediately was that I kept saying that “I†did something instead of the “we†that I had been using in the last entry. Was I really that egocentric before? I was now the kind of person that thought of themselves as part of a group, sharing a responsibility that we all had to fulfill.
For most college students, spring break is a time to travel, have fun and forget about schoolwork. But, for others it’s a time to play “catch–up†and ensure that all their work is in order. No matter the situation, this break always has an interesting unexpected event, some more noteworthy than others. This is mine.
During my break, I was one of the unfortunate ones who had to stay home and study. I also have an 8mth old, so let’s just say I was not able to focus like I would want to. Often when I get stressed I become bombarded with schoolwork and my goal to graduate gets further and further away. Besides trying to balance school and a baby, I also had a wallet that had not touched money in a while. Life for me was taxing.
As each day passed, I still tried to maintain my composure; I studied, looked after my son and did the necessaries around the house. However, deep down inside, I felt as if I was doomed and I was going nowhere in a hurry. I wanted to give up; I cried everyday and wondered how I was going to survive. Earlier that semester, I gave up buying books knowing that I now had a son who had expenses also. Being an international student and not being able to work off-campus also made things harder.
During my daily routine, one afternoon, I took my son for a walk to the mailbox. The mailman’s arrival always added one more thing on my to do list for that day. I opened the box expecting a bill; those seem to come quite often. Instead it was a letter from the financial aid office from my school. At first I was a bit troubled and wondered if I owed money or if I had lost a scholarship. I hesitated to open the envelope but curiosity got the better of me and I tore it open.
Inside was a piece of paper that I had not seen in ages. It was a check for
$155.00 in my name. I could not believe it. I questioned myself and I assumed they made an error. So I immediately called the school to inquire about the origination of this money. Little did I know, NanYa Plastics and local business, gave me a scholarship and since my balance was zero, I received a change check. I was lost for words.
That afternoon, I took my son to Wal-Mart and got him basic stuff as well as a toy and a storybook. I felt proud that all my studying paid off when I least expected it to. This may not be something interesting for an average students’ spring break but it was the most memorable for me. It made me realize that no matter what you may go through, once you remain focused, help may unpredictably come your way and add some hope into your life.
I applied for this scholarship to help me pay for my last semester of school. I believe that I am deserving of this donation simply because of who I am. I am determined. I am a student who not only excels at given tasks, but I also help others realize their potential. I am strong willed and I believe that I possess talent that can make a difference in this world. I may not be the next Bill Gates or Mother Theresa, but my passion and desire to reach self-actualization surpasses whatever obstacles that may try to weaken me.
Sometimes it takes a tragedy to remind you of what is really important in life. A year and a half a go my company bankruptcy suddenly. I was so sad thinking about all the experiences in life that it will miss by being taken at such a corporate tricky other negatif influence of bussiness, and what a loss this was for the entire community to never know what good it could have accomplished, if given time. Eventually I began thinking about what I was doing with the life I was still blessed to have, which led me to realize that I was unsatisfied in my corporate job, and 2 years from now, if I did nothing to change the course of my life, I would likely still be unsatisfied. It was at this point that I realized it was time to make a major career change and go back to the one thing I have always loved doing: working with university culture as lecturer. I believe that as a Lecturer in bussiness communication I will be able to have a positive impact on my community, and even the world, for many reasons, but most importantly because I am I motivated to help students find confidence in themselves and their abilities to create good and strong company or entrepreneurship, which will lead them forward to live successful lives, thereby improving whatever communities they end up living in as well.
During college I loved my job at entrepreneurship, working with challenge, beside I working as lecture at local university, and I found such joy being with them and sharing in their discoveries and adventures. It is based on this positive experience, and the examples I have had in my own life of exemplary lecture, that leads me to believe that I have the makings of a great lecture too, I just need the training and educational background to bolster up my good intentions. I have a solid undergraduate educational foundation and I am ready now to devote my full time and attention to developing my teaching skills so that I will be a credit to the profession once I am up in front of a class of my own.
I also feel that I will be able to identify with my future students from a wide array of cultural backgrounds because I am. I want to show my future students that this is possible for everyone, from every background. 20 years from now, if I am lucky enough to still be around and still be teaching, I know that I will be able to look around me see that I have made a positive impact on this earth by sparkling the minds of student to see what wonderful possibilities there are out there if you are willing to learn.
After I Graduated as Master at my university, I will search good possibilities for international cultural exchange between funder and other good institution at Indonesia.
my commitment to my education is strong and I know that, if admitted, I will be able to earn a solid grade point average, and graduate with the skills and experience I will need to build my career as University lecture at Indonesia. I feel such relief and gratitude to know that I have found my calling, and I am eager to begin this new stage of my education. Certainly the next two years will be challenging—requiring much juggling of schedules, language, culture and time management expertise–but I have done it before, and with my clear goal in my mind, I know I can do it again with equal or greater success. Even though my commitment to my education takes some time away from my child, I know that ultimately it will be worth the sacrifice because she will see how important an education is by witnessing all I have given up to achieve mine, and what a strong career I will be able to build because of those same sacrifices.
Nothing in this world is free. Not even having good feelings that help some of us to forget about being depressed, oppressed and stressed. We spend money on antidepressants and narcotics to get rid of those burdens, just to be satisfied and relaxed, but only on a temporary basis. Instead of taking out the craft set in order to create time-consuming, yet, thoughtful greeting cards, we double click on Hallmark online and send simple birthday wishes via email, hoping that the recipient feels grateful for the internet which requires nothing but finger energy and more importantly, a credit card. Seemingly, money will save the day…as long as you have it. I know I don’t have any money. Nothing in this world is free. Not even me.
I have no idea what Spring Break is anymore. When I was 15, and every year before that, all the way back to when I was 7, I knew what Spring Break was. If it wasn’t the amusement park, then it was maybe a family outing to somewhere that we could afford to spend money, way away from the Las Vegas Strip.
My college Spring Break this year was my first. I never left the house. That might not sound interesting, but in a way, it is. Why didn’t I just haul off to the Strip with some friends from school and spend hours absorbing the images of commerce of which can be seen from my bathroom window every morning? Simple answer: A Las Vegas resident of 19 years does not have to put up with the stereotypes that she receives regularly from those who do not know Las Vegas as more than just a tourist attraction (which it is) but as a place of habitation as well. That’s all Vegas is to me, a place of habitation. I do not know what it is to party in Las Vegas. I thought that my college Spring Break would turn out different in that case. I thought that since I am no longer 18 that I might actually get the chance to finally see what Vegas is really all about. But no, I stayed in the house and learned a lesson that has already taken a chance on my young life: I am going to die young if I can’t get out and breathe.
School is my only option right now, and that’s not a problem. I only wish that I could take my reading and writing somewhere besides my bedroom, to the neighborhood park instead. I don’t even get to do that. I only have my journal, a widely loaded mp3, a coloring book that serves me with therapeutic childhood reminiscence, and a large cup of chipped ice wherever I can buy one for less that 53 cents on campus, if not get one for free. Nothing in this world is free. Not even me.
I have to be blunt about why I am deserving of this scholarship. The simple fact of the matter is that I’m just a young girl trying to steer my life away from too many technicalities that are trying to strip me of my appreciation for art. Vegas is an art within itself. It isn’t the best, by far, but I live there, I school there. I am going to be in Vegas for quite awhile, therefore, I’d like to be able to pay for school in a way that requires me to first offer my wits as a writer. Submitting an essay from home is the best way to get it going.
Hello
Very interesting information! Thanks!
Bye