Soul to Soul by Nelson

Soul to Soul by Nelson - August 2023 Scholarship Essay

My mother has inspired me. My biggest achievement during my education has been to win first place on the National History Day at the school level. It required a lot of hard work, dedication and research. I defended my website https:\\site.nhd.org\26801717 in the regional contest. I didn’t advance to the State competition, but I felt like the champion although there was only one champion. This is my mother.

It was raining. I was waiting for her to pick me up at school. She didn’t come. She didn’t take the phone when the school called her. My mother finally called back. She sounded coherent, still nervous. She apologized by saying she got so sick that she couldn’t get to the phone, not even to call somebody who could pick me up. She finally arrived. She promised it would not happen again.

That was one of the saddest days in my life. My mother confessed to me that she suffers from a very serious chronic illness with no cure. I didn’t know what to say. I went to bed that night, and I cried like never before. I was determined to protect my mother. She is the only support system I have. I researched what her disease was about. I was devastated.

My love for her has given me the courage to face barriers. I want her to be as proud of me as much I am proud of her. I gained entrance to the IB program, and I started working for Publix Supermarkets. I play soccer at a competitive level.

She has been employed her entire life having more than a job -a career- serving people from all backgrounds in both English and Spanish. She has been a lifesaver while working for a mental health agency.

My mother was forced to flee Cuba in the late 1990’s. She was a journalist being persecuted for defending the rights of women to practice male-dominated sports. The Cuban government didn’t like either how she commented about the national baseball team being defeated over and over. Now, she lives in a free and democratic country that she enjoys and praises. Living in the United States has given her the chance to still fight for the human rights in the island. She organized a Cuban “Patria Y Vida” protest in July 2021 in Saint Petersburg.

I was amazed at the media coverage of her event. “The military is abusing people in the streets, they are killing people, they are doing whatever they have to do in their power to show who is in power. Who is in control,” Cepero believes that with the world watching the events unfolding, change could be on the way, wrote Chip Osowski for a television station.

She “was only expecting about two dozen protesters to show up, but the number grew to more than fifty as the evening progressed. Many passers-by didn’t know about the gathering and stopped to be a part of it.”

My plan is to attend a college where I can use my talent, hard work, dedication but most importantly my research skills, to learn about medical sciences, and to give back to the community and people around the world with innovative creations, ideas, and cures for illnesses like the one my mother has. Trying to get into a pre-medical program is not only competitive but it requires a lot of money. If I had the chance, I would study psychiatry. I want to support and advocate for people like my mother. I want to follow in her footsteps. That’s why my hope is to win this contest.

Osowski, Chip. “Cuban Americans Protest in St. Petersburg; Urge Us Intervention.” WFLA, 17 July 2021, www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/cuban-americans-protest-in-st-petersburg-urge-us-intervention/.