Each semester, Jet sponsors the Future Business Leaders Scholarship in an effort to help one college student with some of their education cost. Congratulations to Elle Riva, who has been selected as the recipient of the Fall 2026 award.
Elle is attending Illinois University (Bloomington) studying Entrepreneurship & Corporate Innovation.
Elle was asked what advice she can give to current college students, and her response was as follows:
"Start asking yourself 'Why Not Me?' The only thing standing between you and that opportunity is the belief that you deserve to take it! You are just as capable of growth, success, and impact as anyone else. Don’t let your own self doubt decide your future!"
Prompt
Describe a specific project or initiative you would like to undertake in your early career to contribute positively to society or address a pressing issue.
Elle's Essay
“Do you want to see my kidney?” I froze. The girl asking was barely old enough to hold a conversation, let alone talk about transplants. But she stood there smiling, proud, and unafraid. I was volunteering one Friday night at the Ronald McDonald House next to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, helping with ‘Family Fun Night,’ where families played games and made crafts. I was walking between tables, when a little girl stopped me. “Do you want to see my notebook?” she asked as I knelt to be at her level. “Yeah!” I remarked. As she thrust her notebook towards me, I oohed and awed at its pink, sparkly exterior. “Do you want to see my crayons?” she asked next, her head dipped to the right, her half-up ponytail loose and dangling at her side. “Yeah!” I said again, admiring her stackable crayons in plastic packaging. “Do you want to see my kidney?” I froze up for a second. A kidney? Did I hear her right? “Yeah!” I ended up saying, trying to match my previous excitement. The little girl brushed her blonde curls over her shoulder, and lifted her shirt by the bottom hem to reveal a feeding tube near her ribs and a scar stretching across her abdomen. Her smile grew as I was at a loss for words. “I got a new one!” she exclaimed in pride. “You got a new one?” I asked. “My other one didn’t work right,” she shrugged, and then turned and tried to steal some candy from the prize table, as if it didn’t faze her one bit. I stayed crouched there for a moment, stunned not by what she showed me, but by how proudly she showed it. This tiny girl, who could barely talk, had endured something I could hardly comprehend. And yet, there she was smiling. In the days that followed, her question echoed in my head. “Do you want to see my kidney?” She reminded me that joy isn’t something we wait to feel; it’s something we can choose, even in the hardest moments. That realization changed the way I look at my own life, and more specifically, what I want to do with it. I want to help people find their spark again, especially when life dims it. Some haven’t had a reason to smile in a while. I want to be the person who helps them reconnect with hope and find them a reason to choose joy, too. That’s why I plan to study business with a focus in management. I don’t want to just lead, I want to lead with empathy. I want to create spaces, programs, or organizations that bring joy to people when they need it most. I want to remind people that there’s still color in the world. I may never understand what that little girl has endured, but I understand what she gave me: a new perspective. And now, I’m ready to pass that forward.