Academic Role Models by Cahlan

Academic Role Models by Cahlan - September 2013 Scholarship Essay

       Writer Langston Hughes made an excellent point in his poem, Harlem, when he asked what happens to a dream deferred. Dreams that are not pursued become burdens that weigh down a human being. They eventually shrivel up, or fester like sores, or even rot. But a dream in which progress has been made, no matter how small or how slowly, stirs up hope.       My Mother, Lora, was someone who explored many routes to the end goal of a bachelor's degree. She took many of them in order to arrive there. She inspires me to continue on my paths towards my own goal of becoming a registered dietitan despite delays in returning to school, financial roadblocks, and dreams delayed. Lora came from a large family who couldn't afford to send she or her siblings to college. She managed to go through a 2 year program in the sciences on grants and scholarships, until she ran out of money. At that time she had the credentials to join an industrial company who offered her a limited tuition assistance program. Because she knew this was her one shot at a college education, she made sure to get top grades even while working full time. It took her 10 years of night classes to earn her bachelor's degree, but she graduated with honors and with an even higher paying job.       From the beginning of school until I graduated from highschool, my Mom was the one who stayed up late working on math problems and proofreading papers with me. No detail was unimportant and no extra credit assignment was too small in her eyes. I learned to be thorough, detail oriented, and meticulous in how I went after academic success as she worked with me. She is my academic role model because it was more than being successful grade-wise; it was about retaining the knowledge I had the privilage to learn.       As I return to school to go after my dream delayed, I have a greater appreciation for the knowledge I'm working towards because it's being fought for and earned. My academic success in the future is due to her influence, and a boatload of hard work. Cheers.