After many years of donating her time participating in community service events, Emma Schrier, an eighth-grader at Cinnaminson Middle School, was awarded the Carson Scholar Award, which is awarded to students for outstanding academic and humanitarian achievement.
According to the Carson Scholar Fund website, the organization was founded in 1994 to address the education crisis in the United States. At the time, Dr. Ben Carson and his wife, Candy, founded a research study about education in the United States. The study found students in the country ranked 21st out of 22 countries. The Carsons felt they needed to take action and teach children at an early age to be passionate about their studies.
The award has since been given to students all across the country and ranges from grades four through 11. The award found itself in Cinnaminson after Schrier was nominated by her teacher, Kristin DePhilippo and then later accepted the awarded at the Carson Scholar banquet in Maryland.
“It was really amazing to see all of the students there,” said Schrier. “They were all different ages and in different grades, so it was inspiring to be a part of that group. I really enjoyed the night, especially Dr. Ben Carson’s speech. That was really inspiring as well.
“The main point from Dr. Ben Carson’s speech was to always work hard,” Schrier continued. “He said that to be successful you have to set goals and not give up on them. The only way to achieve your goals is to set them because if you don’t you’ll lose focus on them. The other main thing that he said was that it’s not only important to set your goals to achieve them, but you have to have the mentality to keep going even if someone tells you ‘no’ or not to do something. I thought it was really inspiring and one of the highlights of the night.”
To be nominated for the Carson Scholar Award, students must be in grades four through 11, be nominated by a teacher or administrator, must have a grade point average of 3.75 or above and demonstrate humanitarian qualities. These are the exact reasons that DePhilippo felt that Schrier deserved to be nominated.
According to Schrier, her relationship with DePhilippo goes beyond just being a teacher. DePhilippo and she have spent a lot of time together through other clubs that have also been based around community service, such as Cinnamentors and Students Helping Others Create Kindness.
“I am extremely proud of her,” said Emma’s mother Melissa. “She works really hard and she worked really hard to have this opportunity. All the hard work paid off and has given her even more motivation for the next couple of years. It was a very inspirational day. The family couldn’t be more proud of her.”
To continue Schrier’s quest to continue to help the community, she will be participating in a program to teach incoming parents about the new technology in Cinnaminson Middle School on May 20. This program is being held through the Girls Scouts Silver Award Project, is the second-highest award that a person can receive in the Girl Scouts.
