Hard Luck by Kasee

Hard Luck by Kasee - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

“The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.” ~Harry Golden

I chose this quote because of the circumstances that led me to returning to college. My childhood was far from perfect. My mother was a single mother to seven children who suffered from bipolar along with another personality disorder. She worked three jobs to keep us fed and clothed. My father was an alcoholic and also suffered from bipolar. He was part of the picture until I was around seven when he was imprisoned for raping my older half-sister. He later died when I was sixteen from liver failure.

My mother wasn’t mentally capable of caring for all her children on her own which meant we spent a good portion of our childhood in and out of foster care. I personally became a ward of the State of Minnesota at twelve years old when my mother’s parental rights were terminated. I can remember being in at least seven different homes but there could have been more. The home I was in the longest was the closest thing to a “normal” family I had ever had. When I was sixteen, I was told that I could no longer live with them after living there for five years. I was moved to another family nearby where I struggled to understand the rejection from the previous home. After staying with the family for a week or two I was moved into an adult foster home where I stayed until I was seventeen. When I was seventeen, I moved into my own apartment.

Through many moves, a marriage and divorce, a lot of heartache, and life experiences I met my husband. We have been together for eight years and have two beautiful children. We are living the American Dream. We own our own business and our own home. We are financially stable enough for me to stay home to raise our children.

I have made a conscious effort to not let my past circumstances define who I am or who I want to become. I chose to go back to college to become the first person on both my mother’s side and father’s side of the family to get a college degree. My drive every day is to show my kids that even if you are dealt a “bad” hand that through hard work and dedication, you have the choice to change your path and make your life better for yourself and future generations. I work hard toward my goals and use my hard luck as a tool to keep me focused and driven.