Peter Porello, IVLA's 2020 Scholarship Winner

Peter will be attending the University of New Haven in New Haven, Connecticut, where he will be studying Marine Biology. Peter’s future plan is to get his master’s degree and PhD in Marine Ecology, as he one day hopes to study populations of Right Whales to monitor their health. Peter found his calling by hearing about the environmental injustices that occur throughout the world, including deforestation, poaching, overfishing, and the many other abuses. With this in mind, Peter decided to walk in the footsteps of his ancestors and protect the Earth that we are all a part of.

“Thank you so much for this honor! IVLA has helped me grow both as a person and a student, and I am grateful.”
– Peter Porello

To learn more or apply to the 2020 IVLA scholarship program, please visit https://internationalvla.com/college-scholarship-from-ivla/. This opportunity is open to any learner with the desire to achieve a higher education at a U.S. accredited college, university, or trade school. IVLA understands that there are countless paths and destinations for success. Students who aspire to attend any accredited higher education program of any major or focus of study can apply for the scholarship program if they meet the scholarship criteria.

If you or someone you know has one or more years left of their education at an accredited U.S. college or trade school, share this scholarship opportunity!

Peter's Winning Essay:

Technology has come a long way since the dawn of humans. Our ancestors were astounded at concepts such as the spear or the wheel. Now, we have progressed to a point where we can call someone from hundreds of miles away with the tap of a button. This increase in technology allows knowledge to be shared around the world. This knowledge is what helps students like me succeed to a shining path forward.

From the physiology of a dog, to differential equations, to lasagna recipes, technology allows various types of knowledge to be shared across the globe, impacting the learning of students. Decades ago, if a student were to be confused on trigonometry, they would have to go to the local library and check out a book on the subject. Now, however, times are much different. By merely typing a subject in the search bar in Google, the road towards a better understanding will be paved.

Technology doesn’t just influence the accessibility of factual knowledge, but opens up different perspectives and viewpoints that broaden the mind of any student who reads it. Rather than learning about what happened during segregation, students can listen online about the perspectives of different people during that time. These perspectives allow students to tackle problems from a different angle, whilst enabling them to be more tolerant and respectful as a whole.

Furthermore, technology enables more people to see the problems facing the world today. When a dire problem, such as climate change arose, people had to watch the news or read a book on it. This limited the public’s access to topics such as this. Now, the public can be more informed, especially students, with the internet. Issues, such as climate change, can inspire young minds to solve the problems that adults cannot.

In light of recent events, technology may be helping education more than ever before. After the coronavirus hit the US, every school in the nation closed, as to avoid a national pandemic. If this were to occur several decades ago, students would not get the education they need for the rest of the year, which may force them to repeat their current grade or curriculum. Now, however, online schools, as well as public and private schools, can now put their classes online. This enables students to continue on their path forward, despite what is thrown at them.

Students are exposed to all kinds of information and perspectives. This kind of technology not only allows students to be more informed, but allows them to be more inspired and motivated to do good in this world. By applying what they’ve learned in school to real world problems, all presented by the internet, they may make the world a better place. We have come a long way from the dawn of man, and if our ancestors could see our students now, they would be proud.