How Past Pain Fuels my Future by Abigail

How Past Pain Fuels my Future by Abigail - May 2022 Scholarship Essay

Shortly after I turned 17 years old, my father was arrested. Throughout the time of the pandemic, we faced many different trial dates, canceled meetings, and rescheduled dates due to the pandemic. In July of 2021, my father was sentenced to 6 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit. I was getting ready to start my Junior year of college. I had no idea what I was going to do. School started, fall and winter breaks quickly went by, and I felt as though I was becoming a person that I did not recognize. I was not trying in school, I was depressed, and I felt that there was no way to overcome the pain that I was feeling.
At the beginning of my second semester, January 2022, I decided it was time for a change. I started getting active in groups across campus, got a job on campus to support my mom, and started taking care of myself. For years, I had lived to ensure that my family’s mental health needs were taken care of. Once everything happened, I decided that I needed to become a person that I would be proud of.
Slowly, I have morphed into a strong, independent leader. Looking back to 2019, I would never have thought that the pain was only going to last for a little while. I needed to have a mindset that I am not defined by my father. I had to realize that I needed to better myself.