Be Proactive NOT Reactive by Rhema

Be Proactive NOT Reactive by Rhema - March 2019 Scholarship Essay

My parents have always expressed to me and my brother the importance of higher education. They often say that a Bachelor’s Degree is a MUST and a Master’s is going to have to be pursued and even more in my case, getting my Medical Degree. My parents have and continue to sacrifice so much for me and my brother, but over the past years have experienced financial challenges. My dad works a full-time job, a part-time job and has even driven for Uber to ensure his family’s needs are met. My mom has endured a pay cut due to industry and economic changes. So, as I begin to answer the question of how the scholarship will help me… let me first express that it will help me a great deal.
Financial assistance is a much-needed necessity to be successful in college; especially in the career I’m pursuing, Medicine. My journey to become a Pediatrician will require many years of schooling and teaching, which can become very costly. Getting this scholarship will lessen that financial burden and will give me an opportunity to focus on my studies and learning without worrying about how to pay for it all.
I would use this scholarship on books and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, textbook prices have risen over three times the rate of inflation from January 1977 to June 2015, a 1,041 percent increase. I would also use scholarship dollars toward room and board and other college expenses. Attending college is undoubtedly a huge privilege, and I’m grateful that I can do so, but the cost of school can be overwhelming and discouraging. By the trends that America is setting, I don’t think it’s going to be decreasing anytime soon. Having this assistance can really make a difference in my classroom and academic success and my mentality. College will be new and may be stressful at times, but not worrying about any financial burden will definitely take some of the stress away.
I want to attend Xavier University of Louisiana because it is one of the top schools that sends African American students to medical school. Becoming a doctor is a very expensive aspiration and receiving this scholarship will be the beginning of my journey to that career. I am a firm believer of to whom much is giving much required and I know that as the recipient of the scholarship, it will my job to achieve academic success as I work to give back to those coming up behind me. My grandma always says it takes a village, I would be honored to have you to become a part of my village that helps get me to the next phase of my life.