Great Value Colleges is happy to announce that we have awarded Community Service Scholarships to two students who have created outstanding community service programs. We typically award only one Community Service Scholarship for the fall semester, but out of the 35 applications we received, these two students really stood out as being exceptionally strong and inspiring. Since we couldn’t choose between the two, we decided to award them both a $1,500 scholarships this time around! Our two scholarship recipients are Blessed Mbogo and Hannah Povroznik.
Blessed Mbogo of Silver Spring, MD, was awarded the scholarship for his leadership role in helping to create a basketball training program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children in his community. Mbogo himself was a Deaf and Hard of Hearing student at Rockville High School.
Mbogo now attends Gallaudet University where he studies biology in a pre-med track. His goal is to be a doctor, practicing medicine in a developing black community where he can organize community projects and help empower community members.
In his application essay, Mbogo said:
“Thankfully, there are people that provide tremendous support, heroes. I aspire to be one of those people. I don’t quite consider myself a hero, but I would say I’m trying to the best of my ability to develop as one and give back to the community. No, certainly I did not create a revolutionary invention that ends world hunger or starvation, but I did something for my community and to the best of my ability. Every act of servitude, regardless of the size, matters.”
“I want to show certain people that they, too, are extraordinary and capable of amazing things regardless of their circumstances. This project helped me learn more about myself. As Gandhi said, the only way to find oneself is to be lost in others’ services. When I lost myself in the service of these children, I ironically found myself too.”
Hannah Povroznik of Bridgeport, West Virginia, was awarded the scholarship for her innovative community work. In 2017, she founded Boxing It Up to Give Thanks, to provide complete Thanksgiving meals to community members in need. By its third year, Boxing It Up packaged over 27,000 pounds of food. The organization delivered 1,369 boxed Thanksgiving meals to families in need through 34 food pantries and backpack ministry programs across eight counties in North Central West Virginia.
Povroznik also authored the children’s book, Mella’s Box. The book’s theme is the power of a single idea and the impact a community can make. Mella’s Box was recently accepted by Dorrance Publishing.
She was also elected West Virginia’s first International Trustee for Key Club, an international student-led service organization. She serves over 10,000 leaders across three districts: California-Nevada-Hawaii KIWIN’S, Michigan, and Nebraska-Iowa. Food insecurity was intertwined in her platform. The addition of a hunger-relief organization to Key Club currently awaits international review.
Povroznik is a student at West Virginia Wesleyan College where she is majoring in biochemistry.
In her application essay, Povroznik said:
“Boxing It Up has another story: to inspire and mentor young leaders. In the second year, I united five high schools and founded a Mentorship Program. Boxing It Up leads by its mantra “Reach. Grow. Make a Difference.” This motto became a vision for myself. To reach the goal, I grew the program. To make an impactful difference, I inspired others. Patience and fortitude were at the heart. With the privilege of leading weekly meetings with the North Central Campaign Committee, I mentored each student involved by focusing on how to run a meeting, encounters with prospective donors, and most importantly teaching how to evoke passion and finding a solution to a global problem.”
Great Value Colleges believes that community service enhances the value of a college education in profound ways. It helps build empathy and compassion, and also provides skills such as networking, organization, project management, team building, and problem-solving. These are all skills that are essential in today’s workforce
Since community service programs have become an important part of the college experience, we at GVC encourage this trend through the Community Service Scholarship program. We want to help students who show exceptional passion for community service and who’ve found concrete ways to enhance their education through service.
Blessed Mbogo and Hannah Povroznik are inspiring examples of innovative community service and leadership. We offer our sincere thanks for their service to their communities and our heartfelt congratulations to them both as they accept our scholarship!