The winner of the Winter 2010 OP Loftbed $500 Scholarship Award is K. Vega. Our winner will be working toward a degree in Psychology at Ithaca College in New York. Her answers to the questions were as follows:

Tell us about the coolest object you’ve ever found.
Time had delicately aged the smooth paper turning its once white surface to wine. The letter crinkled under my touch. The writing was old. Written with an elegance that could have only been penned decades ago, back in a time when penmanship was an art to be showcased. My eyes flickered across the page. My heart took on a new quickened pace of its own before I finished reading. All my life I’d always wondered about my family’s history but had never learned much past the lives of my grandparents but this . . . This was it. A single letter penned by my great grandfather chronicling all he knew about our past in the hopes of touching the future.

Tell us your favorite story about your favorite pet.
The living room was quiet . . . too quiet. Despite the commotion streaming from the television something was missing. My eyes flickered across the dimly lit room. Each of my parents sat sleepily upon the two recliners while my younger sister lay sprawled across the couch. Everyone was here. But something was definitely amiss. After a few moments of thoughtfulness it hit me. Where was our dog? “Has anyone seen Winston?” He was no where to be found. “Wait, I think I hear something . . .” The sound was coming from underneath the recliner. I stooped down beside it. Just then I saw the small, adorable- black nose of our terrier sticking out from underneath the couch.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why would you go there?
Mars. The trip would definitely be out of this world and a truly unforgettable experience. I’d love to be able to see first hand the remarkable features of the alien landscape and visit sites like the famous face on Mars and its awesome mountain, Olympus Mons, the tallest known volcano in our solar system. Another reason why I’d love to visit Mars is because I’d love to be able to settle the question of whether there really is other intelligent life out there once and for all and what better way to settle the question than to visit the fourth rock from the sun myself.

• If you knew you couldn’t fail at any one thing, what would you do and why would you do it?
• Tell us the funniest true story that has ever happened to you.
• If you were going to start your own scholarship program, what questions would you ask of the applicants and why would you ask those questions?
• What will you ask Santa Claus to bring you for Christmas this year?

Visit our scholarship area to submit your application now!

The winner of the Summer 2009 OP Loftbed $500 Scholarship Award is S. Parsons. Our winner will be working toward a degree in English at the University of Texas – Austin. Her answers to the questions were as follows:

If you could send a postcard back to yourself 3 years ago, what would you say?

Hey! Cheers to making it! Here’s some advice for high school: Do what you want to do, be who you are, and don’t change for anything. Eventually, you’ll realize that Dr. Seuss is always right, “Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” Make memories that are worth keeping. Work hard and have fun. You only get one chance at making these years your most memorable. Take full advantage and don’t hold back.
Love,
Me

Create a vanity license plate for your own car. Tell us why you would like to have this license plate.

RDNOTTKN
Unconventional methods are my forte. I prefer doing things differently. I read the classics when others read magazines. I listen to the “oldies” with my dad instead of “punk”, “emo”, or “rap.” I stand up for what I believe in whether others think I am right or wrong.

Robert Frost is one of my favorite poets. The Road Not Taken is one of my favorites by Frost. The last three lines are what I live by: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

If you were a fashion doll or action figure, what would be in the accessories package and why?

I would have five main accessories, each one standing for something important to our society. They would be a book, a microphone, a ballot, a globe, and an American flag.

The book would represent education and a willingness to learn. The microphone would stand for speaking up for the things you believe in. The ballot would symbolize voting, to help younger children understand the importance of their opinions. The globe represents global awareness and the suffering of those less fortunate than us. Lastly, an American flag, standing for the unalienable rights that were guaranteed to us by our forefathers and, hopefully, it would instill patriotism in the hearts of a younger generation.

We want to thank all of our participants who made our eighth scholarship such a success, and wish each and every one of them a most prosperous future. The decision of the judges is final.

1. Tell us about the coolest object you’ve ever found.
2. Tell us your favorite story about your favorite pet.
3. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why would you go there?
4. What will you type in your next TEXT, Tweet, or Instant Message to your best friend?

Visit our scholarship area to submit your application now!

The winner of the Fall 2009 OP Loftbed $500 Scholarship Award is T. Evans. Our winner is completing his Masters degree in Music at Washington State University. His answers to the questions were as follows:

Which celebrity would you most like to see as President of the United States and why? Dr. Stephen Hawking. Choose a genuine genius for a leader. I’d vote for a candidate who likely has a better grasp of the universe than anyone. As a symbol of perseverance, Dr. Hawking is unparalleled. His disability has proven no match for his creative productivity. He exemplifies the power of the mind. In his writings, he never forgets the human message – and conveys it with love, honesty and a sense of humor, qualities necessary for a President. Hawking reminds us that we are small, nearly insignificant, and that this is what makes us so special. He’s a scientist that believes in God, believes our existence has a definite noble purpose, and celebrates curiosity as a drive that betters mankind.

If you could teach the world one thing–based on your knowledge, talents, and skills that you have right now–what would it be and why? The ability to suspend judgment. I would stress that change must begin with the individual, that a government-sponsored program to promote non-judgment would be unnecessary and ineffectual. I learned to suspend judgment in college, though it was never in a syllabus. As a music major I was introduced to challenging, unfamiliar modern music. Fascinating changes happen in the mind and heart, when a piece inspires distaste and confusion upon first hearing – only to evolve into love, joy, and declarations of beauty after merely listening more. I try daily to apply this idea to interactions with people. At most jobs I’ve had to leave, the hardest people to tell goodbye were the ones I didn’t like in the beginning.

What is your best personal productivity or time management tip? It’s best not to think about the entirety of work to be done at any one time. An important project will likely have several stages, all of equal importance. One can easily be intimidated by the size of a project, and the intimidation can lead to complacency or hopelessness. However, upon closer examination each stage may reveal itself to be simpler than previously perceived. If one focuses on the impossibility of accomplishing seven stages at once, the project becomes impossible. If one can relax and focus on a single stage at a time, gradually the project moves forward, one sees undeniable progress, and finally laughs at the panic felt before.

We want to thank all of our participants who made our eighth scholarship such a success, and wish each and every one of them a most prosperous future. The decision of the judges is final.

1. If you could send a postcard back to yourself 3 years ago, what would you say? Only write what you would write on the post card, without any other explanation for your answer.
2. Create a vanity license plate for your own car. (8 characters or less consisting of letters, numbers, symbols, or spaces). Tell us why would you like to have this license plate.
3. If you were a fashion doll or action figure, what would be in the accessories package and why?
4. If you were going to get a tattoo of any company or product logo, what would it be?

Visit our scholarship area to submit your application now!

Update on the Fall 2008 scholarship:

Finalists were supposed to be notified by November 14, 2008. However, we goofed! We decided to begin offering quarterly scholarships in the summer of 2008 and this was the first of those quarterly scholarships. Although we had successfully held seven annual scholarship contests previous to this, it turns out that quarterly is just too often for us to handle properly. As of mid-January, we hadn’t yet chosen and notified the finalists the Fall 2008 Scholarship and had not yet started accepting applications for the next scholarship. We are very sorry for this! Although we meant well, we executed it poorly by biting off more than we could chew.

We have things back on track now and we do want to offer more scholarship opportunities. We’ve decided that instead of offering quarterly scholarships, we will offer two scholarships each year with deadlines of January 31st and July 31st. If we can improve the way we handle these we may still switch to quarterly scholarships at a later date. We want to offer quarterly scholarship but we just have to improve how we handle everything.

First-round finalists for the Fall 2008 scholarship will be notified by January 23, 2009. Finalists will be given 10 business days from date of notification to prove that they are a United States citizen. If proof is not received in the allotted time frame then new finalists will be chosen. Because of this no date can be given for when the winner will be announced. (Finalists may be notified by either email, snail mail, telephone, or carrier pigeon if we can find one that knows the way.)

We’ve been talking around headquarters about how to have even more fun with our scholarship. We’ve decide to offer our scholarship quarterly! This means that instead of having a new winner each August, we’ll now have winners in November, February, and May as well. It also means that we’ll be giving away $2,000 a year instead of just $500. And if you don’t win one quarter, you’ll still have an opportunity to win the next quarter.

We plan to continue asking different questions for each contest. The questions for this year’s scholarship are:

• Which celebrity would you most like to see as President of the United States and why?
• If you could teach the world one thing–based on your knowledge, talents, and skills that you have right now–what would it be and why?
• What is your best personal productivity or time management tip?
• If you could spray paint something on the side of a bridge, and wouldn’t get in trouble for it, what would you write or draw?

The Fall 2008 Scholarship Application will only be available until October 31, 2008, submit your answers soon!

The winner of the 2008-2009 OP Loftbed $500 Scholarship Award is A. Keller. Our winner is a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University where she is majoring in Music Education. Her answers to the questions were as follows:

What personal characteristics are most important to you in a Presidential candidate and why? I think that a Presidential candidate should be trustworthy, caring, intelligent, and humble. All of these qualities are things that I would look for in a best friend. My best friend fits all of the above qualities. And although sometimes we don’t agree on things, we never lose faith in each other because there is always a bond between us, just as there should be a bond between a president and his or her nation. I know that presidents don’t get personal with every single person in the United States. But I still feel more comfortable knowing that I can look at our president as a best friend if need be.

Some psychologists say all families are dysfunctional to a degree. What makes your family dysfunctional? Last summer my grandma had a stroke that left her unable to move the right side of her body and also gave her aphasia. She’s lived with us for the past six years and that’s always been a struggle, but now it’s worse because of her condition. She’s constantly screaming at my mom over nothing because she barely understands anything she says. This stresses my mom out and makes her depressed, so she’s constantly yelling at my dad, my sister, and I. So basically, it’s like one big chain reaction. We’re constantly fighting which isn’t healthy for any family. I mean, we make up and stuff, but we shouldn’t have to live like this every day.

Nike has, “Just Do It.” Larry the Cable Guy has, “Git-R-Done!” What is your life motto? There’s an album by Vanessa Carlton called “Be not Nobody” which is what I like to use as my life motto. To me, it means to be your own special person, to be somebody different in this world of people who are forever trying to match the latest style. But it also means that you should be humble about who you are and the things you do. There’s no need to brag about everything you do. The motto isn’t “be somebody,” it’s “be not nobody,” which to me, means don’t see yourself as no one, but don’t see yourself as the best something that ever walked the earth either.

We want to greatly thank all of our participants who made our seventh scholarship such a success, and wish each and every one of them a most prosperous future. The decision of the judges is final.

We must receive your submission before midnight on July 31st, 2008 (Eastern Daylight Time), so time is running out.

We strongly recommend that you NOT wait until the last day because you never know what might come up that might keep you from submitting it. It’s better to get your submission in early and not have to worry about other things coming up in your own life, or even problems with your own computer and our online application.

Visit our scholarship area to submit your entry today!