My Future, My Time. by Sarah

My Future, My Time. by Sarah - June 2013 Scholarship Essay

My parents in unison enter my room, their faces anxious with anticipation of how I will take the news this time. I knew it coming, what they were going to say, almost as if I could telepathically read their minds, “Sarah, it’s time.” I would pinch myself, hoping it wasn’t time again to move. It seems like a reoccurring dream to me, moving to another place, another town, another school with different teachers and confusing jammed hallways full of new and unfamiliar people; but it wasn’t a dream, it was my frequent reality. Since I was a little girl, I grew up with constant change, all due to my parents’ occupations and job transfers. The only stable backbone that I had to call constant and all my own was my family, especially my older brother, Ed. He is my rock; he keeps me grounded and enables me to persevere through times of tragedy, hardships and happiness.
When I was a young girl, all I wanted was to be just like my brother. I was amazed at how he was always calm and composed with news that I took to be devastating and hard to manage. I wanted his strength and courage, and to be everything that he was. I wanted to run track like he did, get great grades, and be that star student. He served as a parent figure to me in a way, for I could go to him and ask for his guidance. Whenever I was stuck on a math problem, struggling with a project, or just in need of help with studying, it was always Ed that was right by my side helping me. He taught me that you need to make your own dreams and chase them in order for them to come true and that through hard work and dedication, anything is possible. These words are like an ever-present echo in the back of my mind as I consider my own future. I want to be that stable backbone for kids who are constantly uprooted from their familiarities. I want to be that one who is the comforter to all the little ones who panic or don’t know how to handle their feelings. I want to be a caregiver; I want to be a teacher.
My brother Ed has taught me many things, but his guidance and ideals are what have helped me become the mature and confident adult that I am today. Ed has shown me that everyone deserves to be happy and to know what direction their life is taking them. It is my goal to inspire and lead others the way Ed has led me. Attending college and getting a great education will help me in my goals to do all that I can to help others. Not only will it teach me what I need to know for my future occupation, but I will also continue to grow in my life skills. I intend, and have been getting involved as much as I can around campus, with volunteer working, helping out at local schools, and going on mission trips. I worked 110% my freshmen year of college, and with your help I can continue to work my hardest at UNC Wilmington, and be the best teacher I can be.
I know what I want in life, and college is a way for me to achieve it. I have attended ten different schools in the past eleven years which has brought me through a lot of change and so many new friendships along the way. After being uprooted so many times, my brother has shown me what it feels like to be grounded. Ed changed my life, now it’s my turn to change others.