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collage of four pictures of 2022 holt adoptee scholarship contest judges

Meet the 2022 Holt Adoptee Scholarship Contest Judges!

Meet the 2022 Holt Scholarship Contest judges!

We are excited to introduce the judges for our fourth annual Holt adoptee scholarship contest! This opportunity is open to any adoptee (domestic or international, adopted through any agency) who is a high school graduate planning to enroll — or currently enrolled — in a higher education program (i.e., a university, trade school, technical training program or other eligible educational pursuit).

To apply, please send your contact information to us along with an artistic expression responding to the following prompt:

Dear Past Me,

What is something you would tell your younger self about being adopted?

Learn more about the prompt guidelines and how to submit an entry on this page. Below, read about each of the 2022 Holt Scholarship Contest judges!

Amanda Medina

Amanda was born in Colombia sometime in 1984 and grew up in Sweden as a transnational and transracial adoptee. As an adult, Amanda began processing the impact of her adoption by creating a blog, This Adoptee Life, which has grown from a blog to include a strong online adoptee community, events and a podcast! Amanda believes that true healing, true empowerment and true happiness are possible for adoptees, so long as we can first recognize the struggle and full spectrum of our experience. Next on the horizon for Amanda and This Adoptee Life are plans to offer empowerment coaching for adoptees and consulting for adoptive parents and people looking to adopt.

Dottie Enrico

Dottie Enrico works for Holt as a marketing strategist. She is also Korean orphan #1371 and one of the earliest adoptees to be adopted into a U.S. family in 1959. She later returned to Holt in 1998 to adopt her daughter, Eleanor, from Holt Korea. She is a former journalist and ad executive who worked at USA Today, BBDO and the Meredith Corporation.

Grace Newton, LMSW

Grace Newton, LMSW is a public adoptions social worker in Wisconsin and a recent graduate of the Brown School at Washington University in Saint Louis, where she served as a research fellow in the Center for Innovation in Child Maltreatment Policy, Research and Training. Her status as a Chinese transracial adoptee drives her passion and authenticity in her personal, professional and academic work related to adoption. She has authored the critical adoption blog Red Thread Broken for the past nine years, has facilitated numerous teen and young adult adoptee support groups, and is currently an advisory council member for the Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN) Conference.

Isaac Etter

Isaac Etter is an activist and social entrepreneur. Isaac was transracially adopted at the age of 2. He is the founder of Identity, a startup focused on helping adoptive and foster families thrive. 

Each of the judges is looking forward to seeing your scholarship entries! Submissions for the 2022 Holt Adoptee Scholarship Contest are due by July 18th, 2022.

adoptee scholarship contest picture of girl wearing graduation cap and gown

Now Accepting Holt Adoptee Scholarship Submissions!

All domestic or international adoptees (adopted through any agency) may participate in the contest. Three adoptees will be awarded $500 towards an educational pursuit of their choice.

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