One of the Lucky Ones by Jasmine

One of the Lucky Ones by Jasmine - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

I’m one of the lucky ones. I believe that if you are in the foster care system, it can change you if you don’t get out in time. There are a select few that actually get adopted and that are able to have a second chance at life without people judging about your past that you had no control of. I have experienced this first hand. However, I got a second chance.

When I was a child, my mother made some really bad choices in life that resulted in me getting taken away from her. I was going in and out of foster care and from group home to group home. When I was 5, my aunt showed up and told me that she was going to adopt me. That’s when I realized that my life was going to change forever and I will be forever grateful for her saving me. As a child, I always loved my aunts’ family. Her sons were always considered as brothers and her husband like my dad. However, I know that my birth mother loved me but she couldn’t take care of herself let alone a young, sassy, strong-willed child who knew right from wrong at the time and could perceive that she was making wrong decisions that were based solely on what served her desires.

It took me a really long time to realize that what happened to me was not my fault. The lesson was a hard one to learn because I had no idea why all this was happening to me. I was left wondering what I did as a child to deserve all this. As I get older, I realize that, like it or not, my experience really happened and no matter what took place in the past, I can move on and have it make me stronger or I can
let it eat me alive. So I choose to just accept it and build my character and prove to all the people that I am not one of those kids that will just crumble and never accept their past. I’ve changed a lot from the time I was adopted to now. I finally know now who I am and what I am truly capable of in life and how I plan to make a real difference. I feel like I got a second chance at life because most foster children never get to have a family member adopt them or anyone at all.
I am one of the lucky ones. I got a second chance that most people would dream about and I feel that I need give someone else that chance that I once got. Everyone dissevers to have someone in their corner that believes in them because without faith they will just be that stereotypical child that you hear about that ends up not knowing they could do greater things then they realize. I am one of the lucky ones and I hope I am able to help give a child a second chance like the one I once got.