Spring 2019 ChooseWhat Scholarship: And the Winner Is...

It takes time to recognize and develop one’s skill-set, but it takes courage and self-sufficiency to proactively devote those skills toward building a small business of one’s own. Self-employment builds character and teaches lessons of accountability that can’t be learned any other way. At ChooseWhat, we believe that combining this sense of self-awareness with a solid education can produce all the tools needed to start a successful small business. Our scholarship was created specifically for students with self-employment experience and the ambition to aspire toward greatness. We are thrilled to announce the winner of our sixth biannual ChooseWhat Scholarship for Students with Self-Employment Experience: Carrie BorchardtCarrie Borchardt comes from a family of nine where freedom to determine one’s own course of action was at the heart of her upbringing. From household chores to being responsible for completing her homeschool curriculum, self-sufficiency was deeply rooted at an early age.Following in the footsteps of her older siblings, Carrie had an early desire to earn her own pocket money. When she was six years old she created a “water stand” mimicking her two older brothers’ lemonade stand. While this first business venture did not last long, she held onto her eager sense of self-reliance, with which she started a care-taking company in her early teens. As a certified babysitter, a pet sitter and dog walker, Borchardt developed a trusting relationship with her customer base. To maintain good grades and keep up with extra curricular activities in school, she called on her peers and younger siblings to fill in when she could not meet all her clients’ needs. By choosing to outsource and employ others she was creating jobs in addition to upholding the namesake of her business.

Maintaining my own customer base ingrained in me the value of taking responsibility for my actions. When there was a complaint, there was no manager to ameliorate the problem so I learned how to claim ownership for my successes and mistakes. This translated into my academic performance and personal pursuits, and I was selected as a tutor for several courses. Professors trusted that I would take ownership of the material and truly seek to exceed the expectations of my students.

Carrie is able to reflect on the lessons she learned and the skills she developed during her care-taking days and has applied them to her academic journey. Furthermore, as a result of her enterprising initiative, she was able to set aside a helpful amount of money to put toward her college education. Aside from her studies, she has been able to travel abroad alone, compete in martial arts tournaments, publish a creative writing piece, and join a public speaking organization; and what’s more, gain acceptance to Northeastern University in the nurse anesthesia graduate program. Her plan is to graduate in 2022.We believe that Carrie will use all that she learned as a young entrepreneur to continue conquering milestones in her life. Recalling her earlier pursuits as a care-taker, Carrie will continue to care for others as a nurse anesthesiologist. That is a strong connection that has the potential to reinforce her confidence as an individual. Here at ChooseWhat we believe that confidence is a key ingredient in accomplishing one’s goals. We support Carrie in her continuing prosperity, which is why we happily congratulate her as our Spring 2019 Scholarship Winner.