A Change In Tradition by Hakeem

A Change In Tradition by Hakeem - June 2013 Scholarship Essay

       Coming from a poor background is always difficult. Trying to graduate high school being poor is harder. So can you imagine trying to attend a college without enough money. It is a Tradition for young kids to drop out of high school when your coming from a poor background , but I am here to change that tradition. Im here to break that chain. I graduated high school this year and recieved a wrestling scholarship to darton college and i am considered homeless. Attending college is important to me beacause i want more knowledge and better jobs. I want to be able to take care of my family and not wonder where our next meal is going to come from. I dont want to just be know as a high school graduate. I want to go above and beyond to reach my full potential.       I have 4 brothers and 2 beautiful sisters all of them are high school dropouts , even my parents didnt make it out of high school. I have worked extremly hard not to let history repeat its self. By the age of 6 my mom past away it was hard to live with that , but my dream was still to finish school. Since my 4th grade year in elementary all the way up till my 10 grade year in high school I was living from house to house. whether it was a friend or a family member. My dad was never really in my life which is normal when your coming from from a poor african american family. I have lived with abusive and violent family members , but i have always found a way to stay positive. Their were nights i was afraid to sleep because of the violence so i would stay up and read a book or study. Even though i was the only person in the house who thought school was important in the end ill be the only successful one out of my family.      By the end of my sophmore year i had no place to stay i had to stay with a friend , i was considered homeless. College is my next step , my next chapter in life. I want to major in psychology and become a social worker so i could help kids who are growing up just like i did. I always had goal set to changing lives and making other peoples lives better and in order for me to achieve those goals i need help , i need more money for me to atten college because my scholarship doesnt cover everything. I have no income. thats why i enter this contest because college is important to me and i hope i recieve this scholarship so i can acheive my goals and change the bad tradition.