The Day My Life Changed by Matthew

The Day My Life Changed by Matthew - October 2013 Scholarship Essay

Valuable life lessons seem to come to some of us in unexpected ways. When I turned 19 years old my life completely changed when I found out that my girlfriend was pregnant. I was enrolled in college studying aviation and my life suddenly changed directions. It was time for me to grow up and be a provider for my family. I found a job that allowed me to support my family and I continued to work for the next 8 years installing fire sprinkler systems without ever completing my college education. Along with this life lesson of growing up and being there for my family, I encountered another life lesson in the summer of 2012. I was working on a job when I had a work-related accident resulting in a ruptured Achilles tendon. I spent the next 14 months going through 1 surgery, many months of physical therapy, and a lot of pain and suffering. With all bad comes plenty of good. I was able to spend a tremendous amount of time with my family and I was able to grow closer to them. My job required me to travel all over the place and I wasn’t home very often. Now I’m here every day and I cherish every moment. 5 months ago I made the courageous decision to go back to school and finish my college education. So far I have made A’s in the first 3 classes I have taken. I am trying to set a great example for my 4 children now and let them know that education is very important to me. Last month I was informed by my doctor that I wasn’t going to be able to return to my previous line of work. Now my wife is the only one who has an income in our family and she is also enrolled in college, trying to get her bachelor’s degree. When we finish our degrees, we will begin paying on our student loans. Any scholarship money that I could win would greatly help out our family in so many ways. Life lessons seem to show up when we least expect them, but I believe everything happens for a reason and I am thankful for all of the opportunities that I have been blessed with in my life.