Jon Zaremba

1994 CFU Scholarship Request Letter
(April 1994)

The following is an unedited letter that i wrote to the Croatian Fraternal Union in April of 2004 when i was 18-years-old. Because of this essay, i was granted $150 (yes, one hundred and fifty dollars) towards my college tuition.

I am proud to say that, for the most part, the ideals expressed in this essay are still the focal point of my existence.

My Name is Jonathan Wallace Zaremba and I was born on February 11, 1976 at Sewickley Valley Hospital. I grew up and lived my life in Baden, Pennsylvania. I attended preschool in Ambridge. I went to State Street Elementary School in Baden from kindergarten through third grade before switching to Highland Elementary in Ambridge to participate in the gifted program. My middle school was the Ambridge Junior High School in Economy. I started high school at Ambridge High, but switched to Quigley Catholic in Baden after my sophomore year by my own free will. I felt that I would get a better education at a smaller school which I did.

As a young child I was fascinated by blocks or any type of building materials. I loved to create something with my own hands and mind that would reflect some aspect of myself. This holds true for me today as well. Nothing is as fascinating to me as speaking my opinion on anything to anyone in order to influence them and possibly lead them in the right direction as I see it. This is why I love music today. No single medium is as powerful of a tool of influence as a song. This is my ultimate goal in life -- to relay part of myself to others through music.

I have also loved video games as a child and young adult. I am therefore majoring in computer science and minoring in journalism in order to possess the skills to produce my own line of games. You may wonder why I am not taking any music classes in college if I want to excel in that particular genre. The reason is simple. The best musicians or writers or psychiatrists for that matter, need no instruction. Music shouldn't be treated as an acquired skill, but a God-given talent.

I am sure that I will do well during my college years because I feel that I am a strong worker. I worked as a veterinary assistant at College Hill Animal Clinic as a volunteer. I have worked at McDonald's where I learned the true meaning of "hard work". I now work at Pappan's Restaurant in Baden as a cook. I have an extensive background in the martial arts which I have been studying since the age of nine.

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this essay. I realize that it exceeds the 200 word limit, but I could not contain all of my life in those boundaries. There is still many things that I would yet like to explain about myself but there isn't enough room. Any consideration of myself for the scholarship would be greatly appreciated. Again I would like to offer my gratitude.

Jonathan W. Zaremba