The Enlightenment from a Giant Within by Emanuel

The Enlightenment from a Giant Within by Emanuel - April 2024 Scholarship Essay

Growing up in the islands of Cape Verde, on the West Coast of Africa, was undoubtedly one of the hardest challenges I’ve faced due to the extremely high poverty rates that the islands suffered. The economic struggles in the country had a profound impact on my day to day life. Basic necessities like food, water, and electricity were often hard to come by, and access to education and healthcare was quite limited.

The Hospitals, at the time, were dealing with the mysterious outbreak of the Zika and Dengue Virus which caused the waiting rooms to be stacked with patients. Whenever I had an appointment, it usually was full of grief, despair, and sorrow. Especially seeing the injured kids which was just devastating and filled me with melancholy.

The public schools were a disgraceful mess and this was compounded by multiple issues, like kids getting into brutal fights on a daily basis, teachers being abused in their own classrooms, and lack of educational resources within the classrooms. There were polluted environments, insufficient staff, lack of security, use of poor language (from both teachers and students), traumatization, and even not having public restrooms available at all times. It was during this challenging timeline that I completed the first quarter of fifth grade, before me and my family emigrated to the United States.

When I came to the U.S there was one significant struggle I faced, the language barrier. The linguistic transition added an unsettling amount of stress to an already challenging situation, making it difficult to communicate and integrate into the new environment in this new country.

Despite the difficulties, I dedicated myself and stopped whining about how difficult the language was and started my English language learning journey. The first year was particularly tough, marked by both cultural shock and the struggle to grasp a new language. The journey involved enduring bullying, due to my stutter and lack of expression, but it only fueled my determination to master English and overcome the upcoming challenges.

To cope with the difficult times, I turned to puzzles as a source of stress relief and relaxation. Solving puzzles became a therapeutic activity and a fun hobby. It helped me stay focused and mentally sharp amid the struggles. It provided a much-needed escape and allowed me to develop problem-solving skills that would prove to be valuable in other aspects of my life, though this sense of comfort didn’t last for long.

During a regular school day in April, I had received a call from my father telling me the most unexpected news. My mother had lost consciousness and had gone to the local emergency hospital to later on being transferred to a Boston Hospital called Brigham and Women’s only for them to find out my mother had been diagnosed Cancer. This caused me to feel numb, leading me to involuntarily drop my phone. To accumulate the despair, as I picked up my cellular device, my father ended the call by telling me that he will most likely not be home for a couple weeks since he’ll have to stay with my mother for emotional and physical support.

When hearing both of these devastating news, it left me unmotivated throughout the day, bringing this melancholy feeling of something far worse than my past. On my way back home, I felt the sense of hopelessness, despair, loss of self awareness and grooming darkness. It was as if I was hearing demons in my head to invoice me towards the Abyss. Among all of this turbulence a sudden wave of enlightenment embraced from a call from my mother. During this call, I felt my mothers voice turn into an angel's trumpet filled with motivation and hope to proceed both me and my sister forward throughout this deep velvet rabbit hole that we are still climbing out of. This speech led me towards this resilience for stoicism and maturity in order to continue this endless battle with poverty.

This maturity and stoic philosophy was shown throughout the events that accompanied after the tragic day. I started to lead the house in aspects like taking care of my family mentally and physically, especially my mother. I also began work for a good amount of time in order to support the family which sadly ended since times got more difficult and I had to take care of my mother full-time throughout the summer.

As of the present day, I am still stuck in the cycle of poverty. My mother is currently recovering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia(ALL) Cancer and my father is still unemployed as of now. As I face these challenges, my dedication to education and personal growth keeps me resilient and sharp. I am determined to break the cycle of poverty, I am actively pursuing opportunities and working towards a future where economic stability is no longer a distant goal.

In conclusion, throughout my life journey from immigrating from the islands of Cape Verde to the United States of America, the tragic event that occurred to my mother has single handedly destroyed a fragile mirror and has awakened a giant within my essence. I’m navigating towards a path of a brighter future, and granting my mother strength and healing as she progresses with her stage 4 of Cancer journey. Therefore, leading this scholarship to hold an unfathomable significance for me, by representing such guidance towards my unconventional path.

Sincerely,

Emanuel Martins