"When applying for the Freeman Asia scholarship, I felt very confused, and not so confident in
my own writing ability. However, my attitude began to change for the better once I met a young
woman by the name of D’Shyla Hodge. D’Shyla helped me out greatly when applying for
Freeman Asia by supplying me with quintessential tips for improving the overall tone and flow of
my essay submissions. Since she knew a great deal about what kinds of essay submission
organizations such as Freeman Asia are actively looking for, she was able to provide me with
writing tips that would specifically appeal to their own interests. Fortunately for the both of us,
both of our efforts were successful, as I was rewarded with the Freeman Asia scholarship. Her
efforts aided me not only towards this scholarship, but also in my writings in my day to day life. I
often find myself asking questions such as “How can I make this paragraph sound more
convincing?” as well as “What kinds of strong language can I use?”. D’Shyla Hodge is a very
powerful and convincing writer. Her advice seemed to be catered towards helping students first
and foremost. She has helped me in developing my own personal style in my writing, and I wish
her nothing but the best in her future endeavors."
" Working with D’Shyla Hodge was both a wonderful opportunity and a pleasure. For several weeks,
I worked one-on-one with her drafting, revising, and editing three essays for my application for the
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. I’m positive that her support was monumentally
influential on my selection to be a recipient.
While working with D’Shyla, it became quickly apparent to me that she exhibited expertise and an
aptitude for arranging high-quality writing. I came to her with several ideas, but without a very
clear method of how to structure them in an effective manner. She sat down with me and we
brainstormed how to best blend these ideas together. D’Shyla was exceptionally knowledgeable
about what the Gilman selection committee was looking for and could effortlessly pinpoint sections
that could be improved upon based on their selection criteria. She proposed a variety of revisions
targeting clarity and structure. After accepting many of her suggestions, the piece had become
significantly more clear and more concise, and each theme flowed into the next in an almost
artistically seamless fashion. D’Shyla played a pivotal role in the crafting of essays I’m proud to have
my name attached to. I sincerely believe very few people could have helped me produce such
high-quality pieces of writing as D’Shyla did.
Furthermore, D’Shyla was very professional and maintained a very friendly attitude that facilitated a
positive writing experience. Her demeanor made me much more comfortable with pitching
thoughts and ideas, and she was always willing to hear them out. Anytime D’Shyla offered
suggestions, she’d explain why she believed those changes would be effective, and she would ask for
my thoughts to ensure I was comfortable with them. I felt I could express my thoughts freely, and
she helped make the environment truly a pleasant one, free of anxiety and stress.
D’Shyla’s assistance resulted in what I can confidently say are some of my best pieces of writing. I
went on to use these essays as the foundation for additional international scholarship applications.
As a testament to her skill and expertise, I was selected to be a recipient of three highly competitive
international scholarships: Benjamin A. Gilman International, U.S.-Japan Council Watanabe, and United
States-Japan Bridging. There’s not a doubt in my mind that without D’Shyla’s help, I would not have
won any of these scholarships, let alone all three. Working alongside her was nothing short of a
privilege and I would happily accept the opportunity to do so again should I ever be so fortunate."