SEATTLE – Seattle University Dance Team members Teresa Buchholz and Sarah Cerdena have both earned the prestigious Naef Scholarship for the 2020-21 academic year. The Naef Scholarship Program provides support and enrichment for upper-level undergraduate students of Seattle University who demonstrate commitment to social justice leadership in their communities.
Buchholz, a Vancouver, Wash., native and physiology major, will begin her junior year in 2020-21 and will be in her third season as a member of the Seattle U Dance Team.
I believe in a world where we must choose selflessness over greed, love over anger, and acceptance over discrimination. Too often when I look around at our society, I see selfishness, anger, misunderstanding and greed. As a physically disabled Vietnamese woman, my experiences growing up, and throughout the beginning of my young adult life, have made it evident to me that the disabled community is one that is frequently misunderstood. Thus, I have committed to be an agent for change in an effort to reverse stigma and educate society on just how capable we truly are. My brother is a source of inspiration for me and though his life was cut short, he continuously shined amongst a life of hardship and proved that disabilities should never be a reason to choose a selfish life. Carl was a graceful, compassionate, and loving spirit who gave his life to serving others despite his own disabilities. Today, some things I am actively partaking in is Seattle Children's Limb Difference Mentoring Group, International Child Amputee Network, and I am the head dance coach for Nub-Ability Athletics. At Seattle University, I am a Resident Assistant, Undergraduate Admissions Ambassador, Seattle University Dance Team member and a Naef Scholar. Holistically all of my involvements are an effort to be a role model for younger kids, and to cultivate a just and humane world. My work and leadership in and out of the classroom seeks to honor my brother's legacy.
To be selected as a 2020-21 Naef Scholar is an extreme honor. Growing up in a family of disabilities, I have a lifetime of experiences that have empowered me to desire a higher level of social change. I feel incredibly fortunate for this opportunity and I am excited to continue to redefine how physically disabled individuals are viewed, and to be a role model for others.
Cerdena is a Political Science and Philosophy double major originally from Corvallis, Mont. The soon to be senior will also be entering her fourth year as a member of the Seattle U Dance Team.
From the time I was in middle school, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in public service. My late mother was a passionate public servant and she showed me how government has great potential to work for the people. She didn't hide the flaws in our institutions, however. My mother worked with the most underrepresented and underserved in my hometown and was honest with me about how our systems fail folks in our community. After she passed, my determination to learn about the ways that we as citizens can hold our government accountable for the neglect, exclusion, and oppression – perpetuated both in individual acts and decades of compounding policy decisions – grew stronger. By the time I finished high school, I had decided to dedicate myself to reshaping policy to create a more just and equitable society, and I intend to return home after my education to continue her work.
I am incredibly honored to have been selected as a 2020-21 Naef Scholar. Since receiving this news, I have been reflecting on the path I have followed to get to where I am. I didn't think I was ever going to be able to leave my hometown after graduating high school. After I was left to care for my two younger siblings, I struggled to find any purpose for myself other than getting them through school. But I knew that I needed to pursue my own higher education in order to better support them, and I had promised myself that I would continue the passions that my mom and I had talked about every night before bed. This scholarship will go a long way to supporting these passions, and I am immeasurably grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Naef cohort this coming year.
Made possible by an endowment gift from the estate of Sue M. Naef (+1982), the program recognizes outstanding students from diverse backgrounds in the undergraduate schools and programs of the University. Each Naef Scholar receives a need-based award of $3,000 or $4,500 and joins a tight-knit community of peers in conversation with one another and the communities to which they belong.
Buchholz, a Vancouver, Wash., native and physiology major, will begin her junior year in 2020-21 and will be in her third season as a member of the Seattle U Dance Team.
I believe in a world where we must choose selflessness over greed, love over anger, and acceptance over discrimination. Too often when I look around at our society, I see selfishness, anger, misunderstanding and greed. As a physically disabled Vietnamese woman, my experiences growing up, and throughout the beginning of my young adult life, have made it evident to me that the disabled community is one that is frequently misunderstood. Thus, I have committed to be an agent for change in an effort to reverse stigma and educate society on just how capable we truly are. My brother is a source of inspiration for me and though his life was cut short, he continuously shined amongst a life of hardship and proved that disabilities should never be a reason to choose a selfish life. Carl was a graceful, compassionate, and loving spirit who gave his life to serving others despite his own disabilities. Today, some things I am actively partaking in is Seattle Children's Limb Difference Mentoring Group, International Child Amputee Network, and I am the head dance coach for Nub-Ability Athletics. At Seattle University, I am a Resident Assistant, Undergraduate Admissions Ambassador, Seattle University Dance Team member and a Naef Scholar. Holistically all of my involvements are an effort to be a role model for younger kids, and to cultivate a just and humane world. My work and leadership in and out of the classroom seeks to honor my brother's legacy.
To be selected as a 2020-21 Naef Scholar is an extreme honor. Growing up in a family of disabilities, I have a lifetime of experiences that have empowered me to desire a higher level of social change. I feel incredibly fortunate for this opportunity and I am excited to continue to redefine how physically disabled individuals are viewed, and to be a role model for others.
Cerdena is a Political Science and Philosophy double major originally from Corvallis, Mont. The soon to be senior will also be entering her fourth year as a member of the Seattle U Dance Team.
From the time I was in middle school, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in public service. My late mother was a passionate public servant and she showed me how government has great potential to work for the people. She didn't hide the flaws in our institutions, however. My mother worked with the most underrepresented and underserved in my hometown and was honest with me about how our systems fail folks in our community. After she passed, my determination to learn about the ways that we as citizens can hold our government accountable for the neglect, exclusion, and oppression – perpetuated both in individual acts and decades of compounding policy decisions – grew stronger. By the time I finished high school, I had decided to dedicate myself to reshaping policy to create a more just and equitable society, and I intend to return home after my education to continue her work.
I am incredibly honored to have been selected as a 2020-21 Naef Scholar. Since receiving this news, I have been reflecting on the path I have followed to get to where I am. I didn't think I was ever going to be able to leave my hometown after graduating high school. After I was left to care for my two younger siblings, I struggled to find any purpose for myself other than getting them through school. But I knew that I needed to pursue my own higher education in order to better support them, and I had promised myself that I would continue the passions that my mom and I had talked about every night before bed. This scholarship will go a long way to supporting these passions, and I am immeasurably grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Naef cohort this coming year.
Made possible by an endowment gift from the estate of Sue M. Naef (+1982), the program recognizes outstanding students from diverse backgrounds in the undergraduate schools and programs of the University. Each Naef Scholar receives a need-based award of $3,000 or $4,500 and joins a tight-knit community of peers in conversation with one another and the communities to which they belong.