Save Your Future by Kaitlyn

Save Your Future by Kaitlyn - February 2020 Scholarship Essay

The world is troubled with hunger, droughts, animal abuse, repressed minorities, and debt. There are an unlimited amount of issues in the world. Some would argue that debt does not belong in this list of plagues. But the thousands of people who declare bankruptcy everyday might disagree. If I could start any nonprofit, it would be to educate people on personal finance. I have peers whose parents are very well off --but they don't have a dime set aside for college. I know others who won't even apply to college as they don't think they could even afford community college. I have a relative with 70,000 dollars in credit card debt. There are 50-year-olds with nothing set aside for their retirement. People need to invest in their future, they need insurance, they need emergency funds, and they need retirement accounts.
Life happens, and if cancer or hunger or a drought occurs it is tragic. But these all could ruin a credit score in an instant. Cancer treatment without health insurance can leave more than scars: hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. You may lose your job, and suddenly you rely on the homeless shelter in which you once loved to volunteer. Drought could kill off a family farm. But one thing that you can do to shield yourself for it is to invest in an emergency fund. I would encourage young people to do as I am doing right now: applying to every scholarship they can.
So while you cannot debate the tragedy of domestic abuse or many diseases, these only become exponentially worse when you are swimming in debt. If your finances are not sound, you cannot help yourself. When you are required to get a second job, you are robbed of the chance to volunteer at a local food bank. You no longer can spend free time caring for dogs that are too old to be adopted. Financial well being will promote a healthy lifestyle in so many ways. People would not fear a doctor's appointment when they are sick. They would be able to afford healthier food and live longer healthier lives. That is why I would start a nonprofit to educate all people, especially the younger generations, about how to protect their futures.
There are an unlimited amount of issues in this world. But how are we to help others if we cannot help ourselves?