Episode 02: What can Scholarship Applications Teach Us About Leadership?
October 14, 2022
Learn about the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships at U-M. We work with candidates for some of the world’s most famous and prestigious awards. Leadership is one of the most common criteria for these awards. Learn about how applying for one of these awards helps candidates articulate their leadership stories. We will be joined by Xalma Palomino who just became U-M’s 29th Truman Scholar. Xalma will share her application experience, her future leadership plans, and what she learned from the process.
Episode Competencies
Feedback, Facilitation, Meaning-Making
Episode Resources
Reflection Questions:
What is your future career trajectory?
What does leadership look like in the context of your career?
What impact do you hope to have in your future career?
Who is currently doing that high impact work in your field?
Speaker Bio
Henry Dyson
Director of U-M’s Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships
I originally came to the University of Michigan in 2005 as a research fellow in Philosophy and Classical Studies, having previously taught philosophy at The College of William and Mary. My academic research is Greek and Roman philosophy (the Stoics, Epicureans, Cynics, and Skeptics). My favorite thing about advising, however, is that I have the opportunity to work with U-M’s best and more enterprising students all across our curriculum. I love that in a single day I might talk with students about courses on Shakespeare, biostatistics, human rights, Islamic mysticism, and nuclear engineering; or about careers in international relations, biomedical research, or teaching. I specialize in helping students craft their “story” and present this on scholarship applications (personal statements, letters) and interviews.
Xalma Palomino
Xalma was born and raised in Detroit, as the proud daughter of a single mother who immigrated to the US over 20 years ago. Beginning at a young age, her family taught her the importance of education, community, resilience, and determination. Xalma is a double majoring in political science and Latina/o studies. Her leadership and service centers around Latinx and other minoritized communities, particularly focusing on educational access, representation, and voting rights. As a student leader, she served as the Lead Director of La Casa, U-M’s central Latinx organization, where she oversaw a college success model that supports and advocates for the Latinx community on campus. She also designed the Latinx Vote Initiative, leading other Latinx student organizations from universities across the state of Michigan on voting efforts and political engagement strategies. Believing that every vote matters, she intends to pursue graduate studies in public policy to continue a career that challenges political inequalities that oppose democracy and prevent minority communities from participating in the electoral process.
