Matthew Beck
IFSA-Butler First Generation Scholarship Essay
Ever since my freshman year of high school, I have relished the prospect of studying
abroad. I can remember the exhilaration that I felt when taking my first trip outside of the United
States—a one-week vacation to visit family stationed at the U.S. military base in Heidelberg,
Germany. My uncle, a Neapolitan who immigrated to America after meeting my aunt in
Heidelberg, encouraged me from my youth to broaden my exposure to foreign cultures and learn
as many languages as possible. Ever since, developing the skills necessary to thrive in our
increasingly interconnected world has been one of my top priorities: I began learning French,
Spanish, and Italian in high school and traveled abroad as often as grants were available. My
decision to study abroad, then, was an easy one.
As a first-generation college student, however, the journey to higher learning has been
arduous to say the least. My father, a retired carpenter, left high school at the age of 15 to pursue
a job at a local lumber mill in order to support his family, and my mother, a daycare provider,
was not allowed to go to college because my grandfather believed that women were better-suited
to stay at home than pursue higher education. Over the course of my childhood, because of
financial instabilities and my father’s bouts with alcoholism, I discovered the necessity of self-
sufficiency and adaptability. While both of my parents have been nothing but supportive in my
decision to study at Harvard and spend a semester abroad at Oxford, I learned at a young age that
in order to realize my dreams I would have to take the initiative myself.
I am diligent, hardworking and academically-minded: when presented with a challenge, I
am always eager to rise to the occasion. While in high school, I began my own charity for the
American Cancer Society to collect donations in support of the organization’s research. I was
ultimately able to raise, by baking and selling cookies across the state of Maryland, over $50,000
for the ACS while still maintaining a perfect GPA in school. At Harvard, I have likewise strived
to balance high academic achievement with strong involvement in the community: by writing for
The Harvard Crimson, producing local theatre, fundraising for the Harvard Cancer Society, and
working for the Institute of Politics, I have developed the skill set necessary to prosper both in
and outside of the classroom.
I know that, given this incredible opportunity, I will grow both personally and
academically—with the skills I acquire at Oxford, my future plans will become all the more
achievable. After graduating from Harvard, I hope to pursue my passion for British history and
literature at graduate school (preferably also in the UK). While my professional plans are
considerably less definite, my goal is to ultimately work in academia and inspire undergraduates
in their incipient years of higher education to consider study abroad. Using my time at Oxford, I
hope to impart on my students the importance—really, the necessity—of an international
academic experience in their own academic and personal growth.