Making My Dreams Come True by Ileen

Making My Dreams Come True by Ileen - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

I come from a world where I wasn't anticipated to achieve much. Being expected to fail came mostly from outside forces, but a small force unfortunately came from me. When I was young, I was not the most intelligent student in my class or someone who was expected to be successful.
I distinctly recollect when I was in fourth grade, and my teacher asked the whole class, “what do you want your future career to be?”
When it came my turn to answer I confidently said, “a doctor.”
She stared at me and told me, “ I don’t see you flourishing in life. I don’t see you going far and I don’t see you becoming a doctor. I can see you working in a fast-food restaurant.”
I was very upset and I went home and cried because my dreams and hopes were destroyed in that moment. At an early age I was told I was incapable of success and I regrettably accepted it. I genuinely believed I was going nowhere in life, and to be completely honest, I never saw myself finishing high school.
My parents always desired the best for me, and fortunately my parents sent me to a very good high school where I was expected to succeed. Being in a great environment helped me get back up on my feet. I asked questions in class when I didn’t understand the lesson, I got involved in my community, and I learned to depend on myself to achieve my goals. It was up to me to choose the path I wanted to go, and I choose the path of believing in myself. I learned a lot about who I was as a person. I learned that I was very hardworking, driven, dependable, thirsty for knowledge, and someone who gets up after they are thrown down.
My overall goal is to be in the medical field. Everything is always altering and there is always something new to learn in health care. I want to be a part of the rapidly changing field of medicine because not only will I have the opportunity to help others, but also learn new information in the process. Now as a college freshman, I am a step closer to achieving my dreams. I am a pre-nursing student and I couldn't be any more excited and blessed. I am not particularly sure if I want to be a Nurse Practitioner or a Nurse Anesthetist, but whatever path I choose, I know I will make a difference in the lives of my patients and the world.
There's this little fourth grade girl inside of me, who was told she was incapable of success, and I want her to be proud of who she is going to become. I want that little girl to know that she will overcome any obstacle that comes between her and her goals.