"Thank You" by Septina

"Thank You" by Septina - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

Septina Thomas

A school accomplishment I am the most proud of is back in my eighth grade year of middle school when I received an award called “Best Buddies”. Back in middle school when my career plan was to be a Special Education teacher, I wanted all of the experience that I could get, and I also had a love for all people but especially for the people that fall into the category of Special Ed. I became a helper to the group of special needs children that were new to our school and grew very strong bonds with each individual child. I would help them in several different areas such as walking to and from lunch, arts and crafts, re-learning languages, learning how to sign and their favorite day of play that happens once every year, Field Day. The teachers who were the children’s main caretakers, expressed how the reactions that I got back from the kids was the best they had seen from anyone else that offered them help and that it takes a special kind of person to be as patient and willing as I was. At the end of my year in seventh grade which was my first year as a helper, they asked me to return next year and I said yes without hesitation. So when the time came for me to leave Middle School and transition, it was hard for me to want to leave because of these four children who had changed my life for the better.

Promotion day finally came and like every ceremony there were a list of awards given out to each student for their accomplishments throughout school. I had received a number of awards ranging from the President’s award to awards for my participation in Orchestra, but none more special than this one. When the ceremony was coming to an end, the teachers who led the Special Education program came to the stage and told everyone that a few select people would be getting the “Best Buddies” award. Only I and two others got this award for all the help we provided them with for the past two years and when I got that award, tears filled my eyes. I had been proud of all the other awards I got, but nothing could compare to the feeling of gratitude in her eyes as she gave away the awards. While on stage, she gave a personal thank you to each person standing up there with her and told the crowd that it truly does take special people to want to care for people who most people just turn their heads away from.

I consider this to be an accomplishment I am most proud of because not every seventh grade student was lined up at their door begging for them to make them part of their family. I am most proud of this because of how young I was and how easy it could have been for people to influence my decision to help and that I did not need to do this, but I wanted to. With all my heart and soul, I never looked at these children any differently than how I looked at everyone else. All they wanted was for someone to give them a chance instead of laughing in their faces and making fun of them in the halls. All they needed was love, just like every other human being in this world. I consider this my greatest accomplishment to date above all, because them saying, “thank you” in sign language, was better than any spoken thank yous I had ever gotten.