More Than my Situation by Joshua

More Than my Situation by Joshua - November 2022 Scholarship Essay

During my childhood, I watched new people move in and out of run-down apartments, sell drugs inside their houses, and break into vehicles. My family helped lead me to be above everything going on around me. Their impact showed when people I grew up with fell into the typical stereotype of a black male, growing up in a bad neighborhood. I realized at a young age that the route was not for me, so I have strived to reach my goals. Through all this, I learned that I am more than my situation, so I need to improve my community to help others.

The centers were some of our only escapes from the struggles in our personal lives. The way the centers were run was not up to our expectations. There was not much to do because of the limits on finances. Because of this, my childhood friends decided to take a different route from me. They started hanging around late at night, and with time we became disconnected.

Today, I mostly see those people on the news, in newspapers, or at funerals. Most of the time these events are never positive. The worst part is when I see them at funerals. The role models they have are not any better. They are who have led my former friends down a path in life that is not right. Instead of telling them to stay safe, the older generation guides them further down the wrong path. They’re stuck in a loop because of their community. It was never their goal to go down their current route, but the people surrounding them weren’t beneficial to their lives.

My plan to prevent this from becoming a continuous loop is to become a civil engineer to rebuild the communities. The people need help, but no one is willing to ask for any because they feel like it betrays their image in the community. At least giving kids an opportunity to have a decent future along with education will be beneficial for them. My dad is the reason why this concept was implemented in me.

My inspiration to become an engineer while changing my community comes from my dad. He is known around Palm Beach County for being a light to all ages. He has devoted his life to teaching as well as providing for those who need it. His main point he entheses is that “money isn’t what changes things”. No matter how much it may cost it can be obtained; I have seen it firsthand many times in my life. It was my dad’s faith in the process to guide him to leave his well-paying job to mentor the youth. He felt that outlets would open if he “followed his passion instead of money” and they did. He has been able to constantly show how important family and a community is, so I want to continue his vision because his love for helping has passed onto me.

My objective is that I want the community centers in my area to be at a place where money is not a factor in reducing the overall production of the centers. At my neighborhood centers, it costs money to attend the programs. The only things available for free are the outdoor portion of the area. This puts a cap on the kids learning in a way. If all they see is the basketball courts, they might think that will be their only option in life. They might feel that others in their community don’t care about their education. There need to be admission fee-free centers all around. This can be achievable with the help of the adults in the area. There is a lot of wealth in Palm Beach County with people who are willing to give, however, the centers aren’t doing anything with it now, so they have stopped donating. My solution is that the adults and role models come together to show the right way they should lead the youth. Kids are very influential so if they see their influencers doing badly, they want to copy, so that needs to be fixed. I feel this is very achievable with the right support.

The experiences I’ve been through have led me to want to revamp my community. Seeing my childhood friends living how they are hurts to see. The waves of sadness that overcome the community when another child gets taken away result in anger from the people. Their stories always start the same by saying how the child used to be good but fell into the wrong crowd. My anger differs from theirs. They need to understand that this is a loop. Instead of being reactive about the situation, they should be proactive to keep another child from leaving. I’m angry because my mindset won’t transfer to others outside of my close family. My goals to change the community are long-term plans but I know change needs to be done now so I must do better as well. The position I’m currently in is difficult to assess nevertheless I realize that I am more than my situation, so I can change it for others as well, so I need to improve my community to help others.