Moving Forward by Jennifer

Moving Forward by Jennifer - December 2022 Scholarship Essay

Growing up I have learned many lessons, but the hardest lesson I learned is that you’ll be your biggest cheerleader. How do you get there? Well, you’ll need a little push. Why stop there? You should keep going and see how far you can get. I’ve never had a support system as a child. I’ve been called worthless and stupid at the age of ten. Asked why I’m going to school if I can’t translate an English letter to Spanish. Why do I join pointless activities at school and take a few hours of their day to watch me play the flute. The point of the fact didn’t hit me until 2022. I have realized that if you want to become successful, you’ll have to depend on yourself.
The beginning of this year I began as a teller for a large bank. I have been in customer service for a large part of my life and I was never a fan of face to face interaction with clients. Especially in a wealthy neighborhood with entitled people. A coworker showed me a post about an accounting position. She knew that I am a complete nerd and love math. I love mapping numbers and understanding the technicality of how money flows. My dream job is to become an accounting controller or auditor so this was completely up my league, but I don’t have a college degree in accounting and finance. I felt discouraged, but I knew I had experience in the accounting world. A friend saw me eyeing the position next to him. Next thing I knew, he walked over and clicked the “Apply” button. I was given the opportunity to go through a two step interview process and became awarded with the position. Never in my life did I think I could be placed in the stepping stones of my dream job without a degree at the age of twenty-two. I constantly thank that friend for the push.
I have studied, taken notes, made mistakes, and asked questions for the past nine months. It has been a dream come true. I wasn’t fulfilled with my career development and have applied for online college. I constantly have proven to everyone around me that I am worth it. I can do it on my own. I was given my push and now I need to grow beyond measures. I need to prove to myself that I can do it. No matter how hard or intimidating it seems. Therefore, if I can work this hard then you can too.