Student's Scholarship Nets Funds for Teacher

When applying for a $10,000 scholarship from the Jewish Guild for the Blind, Thomas Kozlowski didn’t necessarily consider whether he’d be the obvious choice to receive the funds.

Instead, it came down to time management.

“I was skeptical because I’m neither Jewish nor totally blind,” he said. “It was more of a ‘when do I have time to do the essay’.”

His essay, on History teacher Robert Fenster, netted the high school senior the scholarship—and Fenster $5,000 for being the organization’s most influential educator.

“Obviously, Mr. Fenster was the one who came to mind the most,” Kozlowski, who first had the Fenster for sophomore year history, said. “Apparently, I wrote well enough to be recognized on a national level.  All I knew was that I was making money for myself. I didn’t realize I was making him money too.

“Hopefully, he’ll get to go on a nice vacation with his family,” he added

The scholarships are awarded prior the academic year that begins in September 2012, according to the Jewish Guild for the Blind. The guild examines academic excellence, community involvement, legal blindness, financial need and US citizenship when considering applications.

Though he only met Fenster during his sophomore year, the praise already ran high before the first day of school that September. His positive experience in the class led him to join the school’s Mock Trial and Debate Teams, which Fenster advises.

“I had heard pretty stellar things about him,” Kozlowski said. “I wasn’t surprised that he was one of the most intelligent people I’ve met. He’s always really into political science and philosophy, which I’m interested in. He’s always pushing you toward different things.”

Among those subjects is the ability to challenge a point as well as considering an argument. It’s something Kozlowski noticed in his classes and realized students could practice by challenging their teacher’s opinions.

“He’s giving you his opinion, but challenging you to express your own opinion and think about it more,” he said.

The major skills he’s learned are mental awareness and flexibility, as well as preparation skills, he said. Those aspects allow him to think on his feet and respond to arguments—or questions from a mock-trial judge—at a moment’s notice.

“You can wrap your brain around an issue,” Kozlowski said. “It opens you up to an entire field of topics. . . It’s mental skills that you can use without knowing it. On a practical level, it’s a skill you can use anywhere.”

“You need to be well-versed on a topic, with analysis and knowledge,” he added. “You need to know everything about it that’s possible. Wit doesn’t need to be a natural skill. It just has to be something that comes from studying something so intensely.”

Though he’s not yet settled on a major, he’s considering English, Political Science and Journalism as possibilities, and is looking at Columbia, Swarthmore, Princeton, the College of New Jersey, Boston College and Muhlenberg—but he won’t know where he’s been accepted for a few more months, he said.

 “It’ll probably pay for one week of meal plan and then I’ll be out of funds and I’ll be out on the street,” Kozlowski joked.

Editor's note: This article initially mistated the scholarship amount Tom Kozlowski received. It has been changed to $10,000, the amount he did receive.