Faith and Dedication by JaDonna

Faith and Dedication by JaDonna - April 2020 Scholarship Essay

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College is important. For those who don’t know what they need. And for those who know what they need to make their plan a real success.

My older sister dropped out at the start of her senior year in high school. She didn’t even give herself a fighting chance. A fighting chance to experience that year and realize that there’s going to be more than just high school. She dropped out to date some unsuccessful rapper. She followed this guy’s dream because she didn’t know what was out there for her.

On the other hand, there is my older brother who did graduate, but with a mindset I dislike. After taking his economics and government class. He graduated thinking he could survive and come up as a successful millionaire by doing stocks and bonds. That just left him hooked on an imagination once he got lucky a few times. He has the right idea but the wrong approach. He told the family to give him a year, a year off so he could “find himself, have fun and relax”. Over time he has asked family members and me for money after losing so much. Every time he wins some money he quits his small part-time job leaving him financially unstable. If he went to college and got a career he would have a foundation to fall back on. Without a stable good full-time job he has left himself stuck gambling with his life savings.
It’s been about two years and now it’s my time to pick my path.

They don’t say it but their expressions and actions show it. My siblings are disappointed in themselves that they didn’t build a strong foundation for their future. There are days they tell me and express to me that they didn’t have the support to move on in their next steps.

In my senior year, I went out of my way to find my support. I looked for it.
And fought for the attention of the adults around me to be my allies or a mentor during this process for me. I’ve utilized all of the time that they have offered me and made the best of it.
Once I became a senior, every day I told my parents that “I am going to go to college and I am going to be something, all I ask is for you two to settle your differences and help me with this.”
I allowed them to hear that statement every single day so they could learn how serious I am about this and not allow their relationship with each other to affect me.

When my siblings hear me speak about the college they either get quiet or just say it’s a scam.
So it’s a scam that I can learn and grow on how to be a responsible adult in this world at college? My brother will further the argument and say “Well then you have all that debt from student loans.” If you truly want to further your education there are opportunities out there from all different types of free for students. You just need to find it. Complaining is for the weak.
Weakly minded people complain because they don’t know thus inside they are afraid. It’s okay if you don’t know just don’t let the thought of being afraid to stop you from improving on yourself.

While we grow up we are told to “Work hard, get good grades so you could get into a good college.” When things aren’t working out we are then told “College isn’t for everyone” which is very discouraging. Kids who know that they aren’t going to college because it’s their choice that statement doesn’t phase them. But the kids that are in this off range once they hear that they think it's over for them. College could be for everyone only if you made it accessible to yourself.

College isn’t only a place to continue learning, it's a place to continue your growth.
Our brains aren’t officially developed after we graduate high school therefore we have this feeling of confusion and lostness. In college what we are paying for is a life experience.
We learn to become concerning and responsible adults. Don't miss college “to find yourself” somewhere else. Wherever you go alone will be a self-finding journey, try to make that place college. College is important and repetition is important. Saying it over and over again that college is important it will plant a seed in your brain and that seed will most definitely grow.
There’s only one step that you need to get into college and that is believing in you.