My Life Experience and My Goals for the Future by Claudette
Claudetteof Colorado Springs's entry into Varsity Tutor's June 2013 scholarship contest
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My Life Experience and My Goals for the Future by Claudette - June 2013 Scholarship Essay
I am very proud and honored to say that I was born where Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, the Holy Land. I am a Christian-Catholic. I went to Catholic and other Christian schools in my country, and I went to public and private schools in America. I came to this country in 1975 when I was 16 years old after marrying a 29-year-old Palestinian man who lived in America since he was 19 years old. I was not ready to get married, but it was an arranged marriage. My ex-husband was controlling and abusive. He abandoned me, my son, and my daughter when they were toddlers. I had to raise my children alone and without any child support.
I went back to school to finish my GED when my children were in school. I was finally able to go to college at age 44 years old. I am a first generation in my family to go to college. My Major is Psychology, and I had three semester-internships at the Blind Children’s Center, Assistance League of Southern California (for seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease), and the Los City College Mentoring Program (for college students). I became certified in Human Services with my three internships and 40 units of psychology. I graduated with Honors from Los Angeles City College with two Associate Degrees, one in Human services and one in Child Development. I graduated with a BA Degree in Psychology at California State University, and I became a graduate student at the University of the Rockies. I am currently working on my MA degree in General Psychology, and my GPA is currently 3.94 because I had two “A-,” but I was only half a point or a point away from an A. When I graduate, I hope to go into the field of mental health. I love children and I enjoy working with them. I worked as a tutor for the “No Child Left Behind” Program. In addition, I wrote and published a poetry book called, “Love Poems from the Heart.”
I am a multicultural person and I have friends from all over the world, including on Facebook. Many people call me, “International Woman” because of my big variety of friends. Diversity provides our society and culture with unique and inspirational perspectives. Diversity can create new ideas and changes that can be beneficial to society. We need diversity the same way that we need variety in our life and spices in our food. Diversity brings the quality of different lifestyles together to make an amazing society. Diversity reminds me of a combination plate or a buffet table, the more choices we have, the more beautiful the food looks. When we have diversity, we get different types of views rather than just one biased opinion. We learn more about ourselves when we gain knowledge about other cultures, and appreciate their similarities, as well as, respect and embrace their differences. We can use the differences between us to strengthen our society. Diversity in society helps us to grow as individuals and open our minds to different ways of life. The key is exposure and using what we learned to increase our tolerance, and decrease stereotyping, discrimination, and racism. Diversity allows us the opportunity to learn, grow, understand others, and experience life to its fullest. Diversity is a rainbow of colors and so are people, and the more colors there are, the more beautiful this world will be. Otherwise, if we all look and act alike, life would be boring.
College and Community Activities
I am a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Psi -Beta Honor Societies, Alumni’s Association, and Asian Pacific Multi-Cultural Center. I am also a member of a humanitarian group called, Answer Coalition,and I also attended meetings at the NAACP. I am an activist for human rights and an advocate for animals. I was a PTA president at my children’s school, and a student body president at my school. I volunteered my time in churches by donating, packaging, and giving food and clothes to poor and homeless people. I also visited patients, disabled people, orphans, and seniors in hospitals, missions, retirement homes, and shelters, as well as, other public and private centers. As a therapist, I expect to deal with diverse clients and cater to their own special needs. Each person is a unique individual and has different needs. I am open-minded, respectful, and knowledgeable of other people’s religions, cultures, races, ethnicities, traditions, and other differences. I studied both Child development and psychology, so that I can be more helpful to children and adult students. I would like to work as a tutor in a private or public school/college with children and adults of all ages and ethnicities.
How this Scholarship Can Help Me Financially
Two years ago, Ihad to move out my apartment due to the bad economy, lack of jobs,and unemployment. Currently, I live with my 32-year old daughter temporarily until I get back on my feet again. However, my daughter finally met the right man and she will be moving from California to Las Vegas, and they are planning to get married. My son is 34 years old and lives in Idaho. I do not want to be a burden to either one of my children. I have taken the maximum amount of student loans, and I am barely managing, but I am getting deeper into debt. I overcame many barriers and became a much stronger person in the process because of my lessons in life. I survived an abusive marriage and I endured hardship, but I am still struggling financially. I need all the help that I can get, so I can keep my focus on college. I put my college first and ahead of everything else in my life. I am very hopeful and optimistic that somehow all the obstacles in my way will disappear, and I will reach my goals. I believe in self-fulfilling prophecy and thinking positively about the future. I am very determined to stay in college until graduation no matter what happens, and as the saying goes, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” I want to help other people and make a difference in their lives. My purpose in life is to make this world a more pleasant and a healthier place to live.