challenges I had to face by anniyah

challenges I had to face by anniyah - December 2017 Scholarship Essay

When people hear the word ‘challenge,’ they often relate it to a situation they have faced throughout their lifetime. However, I correlate that word with my relationship with my father growing up. My father is the most admirable person I know. He is loving, caring, and always there for me when needed. In addition, he is humorous and brings laughter and joy to the lives of everyone he meets. Even at a young age, I have always gravitated to my father. Without my father, I would not be the person I am today. However, like most relationships, there were trials and tribulations in our father-daughter relationship that we had to overcome together. I was only six years old when my mother took me away from my father, a period in my life when our bond was the strongest. It was a difficult transition because our bond continued to grow as I became older. Yet, I am thankful that we had managed to work through these life-changing challenges together.
My father has sacrificed so much during his lifetime to create a better life for me. He became a father at the young age of seventeen and was forced to give up his dreams of becoming a songwriter in order to raise me. He worked every day and spent every minute of his free time with me. His passion for music and songwriting influenced me to begin writing my own songs and performing them at thirteen years old. His strong work ethic, drive, and dedication has been instilled in me ever since. He taught me to set goals, whether they were related to music, education, or my future, and to never give up until I achieve them.
The most important thing my father had taught me was that family is a priority and all I had in life. Like every typical father and daughter, we had our share of good and bad experiences. My dad eventually remarried and I was devastated by the idea that I would have to share our moments with another woman. I became emotionally distraught and feared that I would lose my father altogether. Shortly after, he informed me that I was going to become a sister. I became so enraged and immediately ended all contact with my father for months. The news hurt me so bad that I became depressed; in turn, ending contact with my father led him to become depressed. He would send me pictures from my childhood and express how much he loved me and how I would never be replaced by another child. My father’s persistence led me to realize that my father deserved to be happy. He helped me understand that although situations may not be favorable, family is forever, and love will never cease.
A couple years later, I finally left my mother’s house and moved back in with my father. Although living with him meant I had to take on many new responsibilities, I was thrilled, and it forced me to become more independent. He assigned chores, provided me with a weekly allowance, and taught me how to become financially responsible. He also taught me how to wash my own clothes and take care of myself in a myriad of other tasks. He taught me that the world is not fair, but I have to make the best of every situation because I am the only one I can depend on at the end of the day. Of all the lessons I learned from my father, the one that impacted me the most was his belief that challenges do not define you as a person. Rather, the way you handle the challenges in your life determine your character. Because of my father, I know there is no challenge too great for me to overcome and this mindset is what will allow me to progress in all aspects of life.