Growing up by Harrison

Growing up by Harrison - June 2017 Scholarship Essay

When I was growing up, everyone wanted to know what career choice I was going to pursue. Many kids my age were saying astronaut, or fire fighter, but I wanted to be a police officer. At the time, being a six year old boy; police officer sounded like the best job out there. I could make the world a safer place, and drive a fast car in the process. I was told from a young age that I had a heart to help people, but little did I know my heart would greatly impact my decision in the career I would choose.
My grandpa, who I was very close to at the time; had a minor stroke, which caused him to be paralyzed from the waist down. This was a hard thing to comprehend as a kid, especially when my grandfather and I use to do everything together; I could not wrap my head around why he could never walk, or go fishing, or drive me to the store, but it never stopped me from caring for him; I changed diapers, bathed him, helped put him in a wheelchair, and even fed him most every meal. I wanted to soak up every minute that he was still with me. During his time in the nursing home, he went through physical therapy that was offered on site; the physical therapist worked with him throughout the nine years that he was alive in the facility, but it never fully cured his side effects from the stroke.
Throughout the years that I spent in the nursing home, I was able to witness many people who excelled from the help of the physical therapist; although the physical therapist could not help my grandpa, I was inspired by the amount of help and joy that she brought to her patients. I began to study, and learn about the training a physical therapist has to undergo in order to be certified; this changed my mind completely about the job I choose as a child, and helped me to excel in the direction of becoming a physical therapist. I am currently a rising senior in high school, and I have begun to start classes that will be building blocks towards my degree of a physical therapist.