Seperation by Alexis

Seperation by Alexis - May 2022 Scholarship Essay

The longer I think about how I should write this essay the more I am realizing how many difficulties I had to overcome and how many are just on the horizon to come next. I could tell you the most basic difficulty, my parent's divorce. But let's be honest, you have probably heard this story many times, so let's alter this divorce story. At 15 I remember my dad telling me he and my mom were going to divorce. It was very dark in the room, we were laying on the pull-out couch in our AirBNB for my grandma's 99th birthday. I was grateful for this pitch-black room to hide my overly happy smile. Pause, yes I know how this sounds, who in their right mind would want this? Well in my case, my adversity didn't begin when my parents divorced, instead, it was overcome. My dad worked 3 jobs when the recession occurred leaving me and my mom at home alone together just about all the time. This arrangement began when I was 10 and ended when I was 16. Getting through nights became difficult when you're the most mature person in the house at 10. Without my dad at night, no one was there to limit my mom's alcohol abuse. I would get phone calls at 1 am some nights from my mom because she needed help walking to bed or hurt herself and I had to get up and bandage her wounds. My mental health took a massive hit during these years but I got through it. I learned perseverance more than anything and was able to push through, leaving my hope for a better tomorrow. When I was 15 I finally worked up the courage to tell him how I felt and everything which led to the separation of my parents and the end of my greatest adversity. While I hope this story isn't too dark, I would like to add that I wouldn't change a thing. Every experience, every difficulty has shaped me into who I am right now. While I am far from being my best self, I am definitely happy with who I have become today and hold hope for who I strive to become.