Life Story Combined With Education Brings Infinite possibilities. by Angela

Life Story Combined With Education Brings Infinite possibilities. by Angela - December 2014 Scholarship Essay

My personal story combined with my college education has truly propelled me to discovery my true purpose in life. I have always known in my heart that I wanted to help shape the outcome of the futures for at risk children. Unfortunately, I lacked the tools to put anything to action on a larger scale. My education has allowed me the necessary tools to move forward in my path for helping these at risk children.

My personal story is what has branded my heart for these at risk children. I grew up as an orphan/foster child with very little education. I lost all motivation for school due to my circumstances. I dropped out of school at sixteen. I worked two jobs. I had to work, for I had no parents to fall back on if things got difficult. I always had to pick myself back up, for I knew that no one was going to be there if I fell. I never knew that a college education was a possibility in my future. My focus was on survival. I was blessed to have two amazing people step into my life who believed in me when I did not believe in myself. I was in my late twenties when this venture began. These two people gave me the tools I needed and the moral support to start my educational path I am on today. I was scared and did not know where my strengths lied. When I discovered that I was capable of learning and I could obtain a college education, I hit the floor running!

I realized that obtaining my education, was the key that unlocked the door to infinite possibilities. I went from a third grade math and writing level during my studies for obtaining my G.E.D. to now being in the Bachelors program at my college. Without the combination of my personal story, the people who cared for me, and my formal college education, my life would not have taken on the shape it has today. I am now on a path in my life that will be forever rewarding. I have started by being the change that I want to see.

I volunteer my time with the local none profit organization Family resources. I collect items for care packages for youth in the Family Resources shelters. I am in the Bachelors program where I am taking classes that apply to the none profit business sector. I plan on starting a none profit organization for at risk children.

I know that a single moment can change a lifetime. A child who is, for whatever reason, caught up in the system can experience a lifetime of fallout. Lowered self-worth and unclear boundaries which frequently leads to a host of other problems that can impact them well into adulthood. Drugs, sexual exploitation, and the lifetime of problems that build upon each other come from a person not realizing their value as a human being.

My future none profit goal is to provide that "moment" for as many at-risk children as possible. Be it purchasing a piece of special clothing, that a child who has never had anything but goodwill-donations never expects -- as in my case -- or tickets to a sporting event with an adult who reinforces that the child is "worth it", I know these simple acts can change the trajectory of a young life forever.