What motivates you to pursue your academic goals and how do you stay focused? by Morgan

What motivates you to pursue your academic goals and how do you stay focused? by Morgan - April 2024 Scholarship Essay

My name is Morgan Harrison. I currently attend Central Arkansas Christian as a senior and will be attending University of Central Arkansas next year. Since I have completed thirty three hours of college credits, I will be joining UCA as a sophomore. I have worked very hard as a junior/senior in school to earn concurrent college credits while obtaining my high school diploma. My parents have made it clear that my sibling and I would have to pay for college and financially support ourselves during our college years. Meaning, I would be responsible for my tuition, education, books, and housing. Obtaining a scholarship for my education would help me tremendously in achieving my goals of pursuing a higher education and my path towards my career.
There are many things that pursue me to be successful in my academic goals and to keep me focused. The number one thing that keeps me motivated to pursue my academic goals is my academic validation. Academic validation is when a person depends on the outcome of their academics to get a sense of acceptance and recognition. I get a good feeling when I receive good grades and that is what keeps me going to pursue my academic goals. To me, the construction of the human brain itself and how it functions fascinates me. I always question, ‘why do people do what they do?’ I have a great passion for helping others especially within their mental health battles. As someone who has personally struggled with mental health, specifically anxiety, I strive to make the world a better place for those who are struggling daily and possibly think that there is no way out of their situation. Therefore, psychology has always been something that I love and that I want to study further.
As a young girl, I dreamed of reaching something higher than just my bachelor's degree. I want to go further than any one in my family and obtain my doctorate degree. I do not want this degree solely because of the title, but because I want to be the best version of myself. I strive to excel in my academics (as I have in high school) and complete my dream of having a PhD. Most of my family did not succeed in obtaining a higher education (lack of resources and money) and I do not fault them for this. Therefore, I want to show my younger family members that they are capable of anything they set their minds to. Therefore, by having this scholarship, it could help me financially support myself and my education goals of one day being Dr. Morgan Elise Harrison.