Articles by Michael Cochise Young

We talk a great deal about public policy in the Flinn Scholars Program, but how many of us understand how our state government really operates, and what led to some of its present practices? High-school civics class doesn’t begin to map this complex landscape.

To understand how public policy emerges from idea to practice in Arizona, you might try the briefing book for the 97th Arizona Town Hall, which concluded yesterday at the Grand Canyon. Reading Arizona Government: The Next 100 Years--also the title of the three-day Town Hall--will leave you a better-informed voter and more-fully engaged citizen as we approach our 2012 centennial.

In a chapter that begins on page 77, you’ll also discover some of the work for which alumna Kim Demarchi ('93) is well-known.

Here at the Foundation, it can make our heads spin: how quickly Flinn Scholars go from being wide-eyed freshmen living in residence halls for the first time, to being attorneys, parents, small-business owners, research scientists, professional filmmakers--you name it.

Next month, the 25th class of Flinn Scholars begin their undergraduate adventures. With that milestone imminent, we think it's time to celebrate the growth of the Flinn Scholarship Program, the accomplishments of its participants, and the lifelong friendships to which it has given birth.

Actually, we've already begun our commemoration of the Scholars 25th year; our Recognition Dinner this past May was a wonderful chance to rekindle relationships with a few of our alumni and some of our longtime partners at Arizona's universities and in the community.

To continue the celebration, we're inviting our community of nearly 400 alumni to come home. October 1-3, we'll have a weekend-long reunion--we're imagining it as a grown-up version of the annual retreat we hold each August for current Scholars. The weekend will even include a "musicale" reminiscent of the talent show held at the retreat. And we are hoping to invite some of our current Scholars to join in with alumni for that particular activity.

(Alumni, you should already have a save-the-date card on your refrigerator, and you'll shortly receive a formal invitation to the reunion weekend.)

Next spring, we'll follow up with a series of one-day seminars addressing some of Arizona's most important contemporary concerns. Panelists at these seminars will include representatives from the Flinn Scholar alumni community in Arizona--now more than 120 strong. These are individuals making important contributions in a variety of fields, to make Arizona a better place for the next 25 years.

For Flinn Scholarship applicants, one of the last hurdles is often putting aside self-doubt. It's easy to read about the accomplishments of Flinn Scholars and assume there is no way to match up to them. One of our senior Flinn Scholars, Yichao Wang ('06), urges applicants to recognize how strong their own records actually are, then forget about them, and start concentrating on what's to come:

Dearest Future Flinn Scholar!

I'm guessing this letter finds you in the midst of a deluge of work and general madness. It's your senior year, and college apps, AP tests, homework and projects probably are looming big in your life, and you're probably wondering if you were not somehow delusional when you decided to open up and start an application process for a scholarship that asks you about fictitious documentaries and your shortcomings and has about 12,591,820,983 pages of information to fill out.

If you're anything like I was my senior year, you might be thinking at this point, “Oh my gosh—I don't know how to answer these questions—and I haven't done enough community service—and my school involvement's been crummy—and my GPA's not good enough—and I don't know what really sets me apart—and I don't know what I want to major in—and every other applicant seems so brilliant—and all the Flinn scholars seem to have written symphonies or economic theses for major journals or engineered water supply systems for rural communities in Peru or cured cancer and I haven't done any of that—and my hair is not nearly as gorgeous as that person on the Flinn home page OMG-there's-no-way-they'll-pick-me-in-a-million-years-ARGH”!

First—not everyone can have such cool hair, so don't feel bad. And second—I know when I applied for the Flinn, I thought I was way out of my league. The current scholars are all doing amazing things, and you're facing off against the best students of Arizona for this scholarship.

But that's because you are the best of Arizona. You might be shaking your head in doubt (or maybe nodding with self confidence—if so, hurrah for you!), but believe it, and trust the strength of your application and what you've done. From what I've experienced, the Foundation isn't so much looking for what you have done, but what you are going to do—they're looking for motivated, dedicated and hard-working young people. Your GPA and other “stats” are a factor, but more as indicators of that dedication and ambition than anything else. This process is really self-selecting—so select yourself.

Also, perhaps the best tip I can offer is: have fun. The essay prompts are an opportunity to give the selection committee a way to see you that's not just numbers. Don't try to write what you think they want to hear, write what you want to say—and don't be afraid to say something strange or off the beaten path. Show them that you know how to write, and be yourself, and enjoy the writing!

You don't have to have saved a South American village from drought or be majoring in chemical biological microbial engineering to be a Flinn Scholar. I'm a theatre and English major with a focus on theatre for youth. There are Scholars who are music majors, art majors, political science majors, as well as the “hard” sciences—it's a  huge spectrum! So be confident in what you love, and rock that application.

The scholarship is totally worth it; I can say without a doubt it has been one of the biggest blessings in my life, allowing me the resources and opportunity to explore and study what I want. The people I've met, the professional contacts I've made, the places I've gotten to travel, have all made it absolutely priceless. I can't wait to welcome you into that experience.

So buckle in, bake those brownies for your letters of rec writers, and we'll see you at the interviews. ;)

Best,
~M. Yichao Wang
Senior Flinn

Photo by Flickr user jeremywilburn

That's the opening line in "Ghost Net (XXI)," one of the poems by Katherine Larson ('96) that is paired with a shadow box created by fellow Tucson artist Heather Green in the Ghost Net Project.

We've reached the time of year when Arizona's universities begin naming some of their most outstanding graduates. And no surprise: Our own Joe Fu ('03) is among the award winners.

David Hernandez ('04) has already demonstrated that making your own galaxy is a piece of cake.  Now he's given us an advanced copy of the cookbook for those who need more detailed instructions...

High-school seniors, would you like to attend the National Youth Science Camp--with all expenses paid?

Bob Hanshaw ('06) received the Creative Achievement Award at the Honors Convocation in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona.