AAA Scholarship Essay Winner Announced

Anna Bower, a senior at Collingwood High School, has been selected as the winner of the AAA Scholarship Essay contest. Anna earned $2,500 toward her college tuition with her winning entry.

The contest, open to all high school seniors living in Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester or Salem counties, were presented the following challenging scenario to answer with a maximum of 1,000 words:

The coronavirus pandemic has limited travel opportunities for many people, keeping them home and making them appreciate their past travel experiences more than ever. Whether exploring the local sights of South Jersey or vacationing across the globe, how has travel made a positive impact in your life? What are some destinations you’d like to travel to in the future and why? What is one destination that has been most significant to you, and why?

By: Anna Bower

Travel has made an incredibly positive impact on my life. From the time I was born, my parents believed in packing up and taking me with them wherever they went. I have learned how to be comfortable on long road trips locally and across the states, manage airports and flights to foreign destinations, and navigate the trickiest of railways in the US and abroad. I am a very shy and reserved person, but travel has given me the confdence to visit new places, try new foods, and interact with new people. Having an appreciation for different cultures and traditions allowed me to mature in a way that I’m certain I wouldn’t have been able to do if it weren’t for the travel. I have packing lists and luggage at the ready and the amount of travel books I have take up most of the space on my bookshelves. I’m always dreaming of my next trip and having this wander lust at such a young age has taught me how to plan, budget and save, and organize trips of many lengths. Just a couple of years ago, my parents and I travelled to Italy for two weeks over the holidays and even though I was just 16 at the time, they entrusted me with handling the train schedules and apartment rental logistics in each city. Our family trips have given me the independence to handle a variety of situations. I’ve been accepted into Northeastern’s NUin program and my initial freshman semester will take place in Greece. I am so excited for this amazing opportunity and know this trip will have yet another major impact on my life. And, when I’m back home again, I know I will love taking a drive down to the Jersey Shore and planning our next Disney trip. Home is where the heart is, and my heart loves to travel!

Next on my list to travel to are Spain because I want to put my Spanish skills to the test from my five years of Spanish in school. And I would also love to travel to Japan so I could visit Disney Tokyo and eat authentic sushi.

My time in Paris has been the most significant to me. From as far back as I can remember, my parents had said we could visit Paris when I turned 13. I know how long and hard they saved for this trip. We went over Christmas and celebrating the holiday in Paris was magical. My mom, dad, and I picked two adjectives out of a hat and we had to find a souvenir for each other that matched the adjectives we chose. My Dad picked ‘blue’ and ‘round’ and he got me this most amazing blue tea pot that I use every night and will always cherish. I bought my mom a Mary Poppins book in French and remember paying at the register without any assistance in a small bookshop where the owner only spoke French. I don’t speak French at all, yet I managed to buy the book and I remember how proud my mom was of me that I handled myself the way I did. When I look at the decals of the Eiffel Tower on my bedroom wall, I’m still giddy with joy more than five years later knowing that I stood under that amazing monument.