Plan for Tomorrow with Benjy Grinberg

With the world being so upside down right now, it is so easy to forget about planning for the future. It is so easy to get wrapped up in just surviving, living day to day and getting through this pandemic, that you lose the drive to move forward. It is understandable, and just getting by is a huge task in itself. If that is all you can do, that is more than enough.

However, it is important, if you can, to still make plans and work toward the future. Not only can it help give you hope in the present, something to look forward to, a semblance of normalcy, but one day, when we do come out of this, it will be very important that there is still a place for you. That comes from planning in the present. If you wait until this is gone to make plans, the ones that didn't wait will all be ahead of you.

This can be in anything, really, career moves, starting a business, anything. But I think it could be most important in education. There are deadlines for applications and things that need to be done now in order to have a place for later in the year and sometimes even the following year.

It is especially important in terms of financial assistance. There are only so many scholarships available, and there are many students vying for them. They are not only available through universities, though, or other obvious sources. Be sure to look into all the options for aid, even smaller ones.

For example many businesses offer scholarships from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars. One specific example is Benjy Grinberg, who offers a $1000 scholarship. There is a form you can fill out right on his website. It requires a short, 750 word, essay explaining your passions and ambitions. The specific question is: “What is a passion or hobby of yours, and what role does it play in your educational journey?”

I love the question. I've always thought that stats and figures were not a true measure of a person, even in things like education. Getting to know the heart, passion, and character of someone is far more important, in my opinion. No one changes the world with intellect alone, it takes a desire to make a positive impact.

The only requirements to apply for the scholarship, aside from submitting the essay, are being a high school student accepted to a college or university, or being currently enrolled in a grad or undergrad program.

This is just one of many options available. Make sure that if you are a student or know a student, you look into every possible source for scholarships and financial aid. There are also grants that many people can qualify for.  

Remember, it is important to keep working toward your dreams and goals. These trying times will not be around forever and a solid plan for the future will ensure that you are thriving once it passes. But, again, there is nothing wrong with just surviving, either. And if you do fall behind, it's not the end of the world. You can always catch up. Besides these classifications of "on target", "behind" are all actually arbitrary, and all that matters is that you are in a good place.

I wish you all the best of luck in any goals you are working toward. Stay safe and remember to always be compassionate.