My Inspirational Brother by Kyrie

My Inspirational Brother by Kyrie - April 2018 Scholarship Essay

At eleven years old, having Down Syndrome never stopped my brother from living his life to the fullest; however, as ironic as it may be, his condition stopped me from living mine. I grew embarrassed at the way my brother would act in public, and resentful to go out and become apart of my community and school. At one point I became so frustrated with they way my life was headed, I started to blame his condition for the cause of my academic failure. Education became the back burner of my life and I began to see school as more of a task to get through rather than a learning experience to grow from. As a result I started to see education as unimportant, and college became an obstacle I did not see fit in my future. I am, however, glad that I later endured an important obstacle that I truly feel changed my viewpoint.
Seeing as my mom is a single mother, we grew up in situations where we were not poverty-stricken, but at times in a predicament where it was hard to make ends meet. At the age of fifteen years old, I started to work and sell my own items hoping to help with expenses, but was forced to stop so that I could assist my mother by watching my brother after school so she could work more. This ultimately left me to become an important role in my younger brothers life, and as struggling and intimidating as that may have been, it was this predicament that coaxed me to change my ways and become a leader in the classroom and community. I grew a better understanding of his condition and started to teach others what I had learned. I also began to realize that years of taking care of my brother and learning more about his special needs condition would result in me ultimately being the person to fully understand and care for him in the future.
My perspective on higher education changed once I understood how education would become a major role in not only my survival but my brothers as well. Being forced to take care of my brother all of these years only made me realise that I should be using every possible chance to do more and strive for better. Because of this, Education became the most important obstacle for me. By my Freshman year of high school, I decided to change my path and become more invested in school clubs and organizations. I started to become a leader, make goals, and even follow my dreams of pursuing a career in Music Business with a minor in Law at Belmont University. By my senior year of this year, I got my grades up, and even got into the top 13% quartile in my class. I feel that by me executing better in school, I only pushed myself to achieve more than I did before. Although, I also feel that my brother has been the real push that truly turned my life around and made me understand the importance of education. He yielded me to see that with a higher education we might have a better chance at living rather than not having an education at all. This is why I feel that #GoInspire is the perfect hashtag that embodies the inspiration my brother has given me to further my education. This hashtag can end up being a way for others to share their stories on how they were compelled to see education as the most important matter in their lives and hopefully persuade others to see the same.