Seeking scholarships to fund her education at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in the fall, senior Cheryl Ma entered an essay contest through Celebrating Student Voices at the end of March. The contest awards 10 scholarships that range from $1,000 to $5,000.

“The prompt was to tell a story that will build bridges at a time of distress in our world,” Ma said. “Obviously I love money, but also the message of my essay is really important to me. It is about being able to communicate with people who are different than you.”

The nonprofit encourages students to cultivate a their national identities through the collection of shared knowledge and values. Ma’s essay details her experience volunteering at a church in Mexico.

“I volunteered for the job not knowing that the kids I would be taking care of don’t speak English. I don’t know Spanish, so my essay is about learning how to make a connection with them,” Ma said. “I want to do international business in college so this definitely relates to that.”

Voting for the Celebrating Student Voices essay contest ends May 9. You can visit this website to vote for Ma’s essay entitled “Talking with Water Balloons.”