The end is nearing. The top 4 finalist have been selected, which means it’s time to take a look back on all that has happened. What had started off as a class that most students took in order to meet a major or minor requirement has turned into an educational experience that will be used now and years to come. This was expressed from three classmates I interviewed.
I asked them each the question, “What has been your biggest takeaway of this class and the grant writing process?” The first student, Cary-Grace responded, “I have really enjoyed the discussion & the process of figuring out how to effectively and ethically award these grants. I have learned a lot about how to deliberate and what to consider during the grant writing process. There are so many ethical factors but efficiency is also important. This class has definitely impacted my future and my education as a Social Work major & Non Profit Studies Minor.”
The second, Scott, answered it as, “I loved the real world application of the class. We actually were going out and forming connections and writing actual grants for actual money. That made the process far more memorable and applicable for me.”
The final student, Katie, replied, “This class taught me so much. I think the biggest take away of it all for me was probably that chaos is integral for a real and authentic granting process.” On top of that, Katie and her partner, Smoot, plus their company, On the Road Collaborative, have their grant proposal in the top 4.
With all that said, these past few weeks have been filled with confusion, discussion, answers, joy, decision-making, and so much learning. In the next few weeks, the two organizations with the best grants will be chosen and rewarded their grants. This will include an award ceremony, which we all will attend. From there out, each student will take this new knowledge, take it wherever the go, and change the world!