Gradware.com Presents
2007 National Essay Scholarship: THE DIGITAL DORM ROOM OF THE FUTURE
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Digital Dorm National Essay Scholarship! We received a great response and were very impressed with the creativity and imagination of the entrants.
It seems that the ideal digital dorm of the future for most students would be a secure, green, clean, organized, comfortable, spacious room with great entertainment and communications technology. Basically a home away from home that fosters a robust learning environment by allowing students to get a good nights sleep (think soundproof walls and soothing, high tech alarm clocks that don't scare you out of sleep), with some of Mom's home cooking, laundry, and cleaning services thrown in (think Rosie the Jetson's robot maid).
Many of you also wanted to be able to attend class remotely from your dorm by connecting online to the live class lecture, or even having a hologram of your professor to watch, instead of having to get out of a warm bed to walk through the rain to class. Security was a big issue too, with the ideal dorm of the future having a keyless entry system with a fingerprint keypad for quick access in case of an emergency and so you don't have to worry about losing your keys.
Of course, the digital dorm of the future will get its energy from green, renewable sources, have excellent recycling programs, and encourage sustainable and healthy lifestyles. Some even suggested nanobots implanted in your brain and time travel to help you learn better, while others described scary post- apocalyptic futures after the end of the Mayan calendar or a post-nuclear war environment that will make any future dorm technology irrelevant. With such a wide variety of entrants, it was difficult to determine the winners from so many strong essays.
Thank you again to all who entered. Gradware is proud to announce the following winners and finalists for the Essay Scholarship:
Winners:
1st place: Courtney M. - Leland, North Carolina
2nd place: Hans S. - Ellensburg, Washington
3rd place: Eric M. - Slinger, Wisconsin
Honorable Mention Finalists:
Aaron W. - Garrison, Texas
Corey V. - Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Christina C. - San Francisco, California
Erika S. - Mullica Hill, New Jersey
Angelina P. - Hedgesville, West Virginia
Sydney S. - Montauk, New York
Gabrielle A. - St. Louis Missouri
Graham H. - El Dorado Springs, Colorado
Jacqueline J. - Southlake, Texas
James D. - Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Jamie F. - Hernando, Florida
Jennifer I. - Parker, Texas
Kristin L. - Bristol, Virginia
Kelly B. - Manteca, CA
Kristen R. - Berkeley, CA
Kyle S. - Parkville, Missouri
Nedjra M. - Mount Vernon, New York
Manuel R. - Whittier, California
Matthew N. - San Antonio, Texas
Marie C. - Penn Laird, Virginia
Miles L. - Watchung, New Jersey
Matthew H. - Ann Arbor, Michigan
Orindom M. - Sugar Land, Texas
Raksha H. - Farmington Hills, Michigan
Regina I. - West Covina, California
Robert W. - New Braunfels, Texas
Rodney B. - Long Beach, California
Shradha K. - Bellport, New York
Jacquelyn P. - Helena, Montana
Spencer S. - Murray, Utah
Samantha B. - Westminster, Maryland
Tahmina U. - Cooper City, Florida
Douglas F. - Micaville, North Carolina
Devon R. - Winter Park, Florida
Vladimir M. - Redwood City, California
Amber J. - Allen, Texas
Yutong L. - Madison, Mississippi
Yanfen L. - Savoy, Illinois
Yuan Z. - Fairfax, Virginia
Jessica K. - Cincinnati, Ohio
Benjamin M. - Simsbury, Connecticut
Paul V. - Clemson, South Carolina
Kaela B. - Canyon Country, California
Tiffany H. - Jackson, Mississippi
Melissa H. - Middleport, New York
Alexander M. - Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Melissa L. - Elgin, Illinois
Charles B. - Georgetown, Indiana
Mabel C. - Yonkers, New York
Sara M. - Levittown, New York