My name is Guishyloh Boursiquot, but I’m known simply as Shyloh. I am a young author from Queens, New York and I have been a member of NSHSS since 2013.
On September 6, 2014, Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey hosted an NSHSS Member Event & College Fair where scholars, educators, and parents had the opportunity to meet the Chairman of NSHSS, Mr. Nobel, tour FDU’s campus, and visit with university admissions representatives. It featured two workshops: a Central Intelligence Agency workshop that explained what they do and how you can apply for their internship programs, and a college workshop that gave both students and parents a better understanding of the college admission process. It was followed by a wonderful ceremony that featured an amazing harpist, very informative guest speakers including Mr. Nobel, recognition of five educators from different parts of the country nominated by scholars for their excellence in teaching, and two scholars took the stage to share with the audience their great achievements. It was all hosted by NSHSS Vice President Ms. Beth Pann.
Fortunately, I was one of the two scholars who spoke. I shared inspiration from my book, How I Survived the Sixth Grade, which was published last year. I explained the synopsis of the story and how it came to be and expressed to my fellow scholars that perseverance always prevails in the end.
The second honoree was an interesting young lady name Kylie Lan Tumiatti from Boca Raton, Florida. She is now a college freshman who was awarded a Claes Nobel Academic Scholarship, and it was presented to her by Claes Nobel, the chairman himself of NSHSS. Kylie accepted her award and shared her heart-warming story of how she got to where she is today.
We received a few pointers from Andrew Ippolito and Dr. Joseph J. Kiernan, two leaders at Fairleigh Dickinson University. What I found the most interesting was Mr. Nobel talking about the environment. To end the day, all the scholars present recited the NSHSS Member Induction Pledge, and everyone celebrated with a cookout.
The day was a success and was acclaimed day by everyone. I’ve been looking forward to this day since April when I was invited to address the audience. I was truly grateful for this opportunity. It was a very special experience for me being that this was my first NSHSS event. The day was well coordinated and executed and everyone there was super friendly. I’ve even made a few friends that I still keep in touch with weeks after the event. I highly recommend going to events like this because the knowledge you gain and the people you meet are priceless. I had such an amazing time at this event and cannot wait to go to the next one!