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“Motivation for a Higher Education”

A winning essay from our Brighter Future Scholarship contest

Ever since I was young, I have been taught that I have to do well in school, so that I can eventually go to college, then get a good job and live a happy life. However, as I got older, I realized that statement isn’t necessarily true. Multiple famous people have lived happy and successful lives and they never graduated from college. Yet, despite this realization, I still have no doubts that I want to attend college, and a college education is the start of my journey to create a happy life for myself and others.

There was one glaring issue with this life path, however. That issue is money. Although I have worked my entire life to do well in school so I can carve my future, a major barrier that is almost entirely out of my control blocks my path. To shatter this barrier, I am applying for as many scholarships as I can, including this one, so I can travel along my life path in college, in hopes to achieve a successful future.

Although my parents might seem like they have enough money to support my journey through college as they have good jobs, this is not the entirety of the situation. 6 years ago, my mother became deathly ill due to alcohol abuse. To save her life, my family had to take her to a rehabilitation facility upstate, and I spent a significant period of time without her. Additionally, since my parents are divorced and my mom was my primary caretaker, I had to live with my father instead. Due to my mother’s addiction, she lost her job and collected $150,000 in debt due to her medical bills. Not only that, but I was traumatized by being so scared of seeing my mom in such a state due to her alcohol abuse. Thankfully, she managed to recover and started to rebuild her life. Although she now has a good job once again, the dent of that incident still weighs greatly upon my family’s financial status. If my mother had never become ill, she would still have those $150,000 lost to medical bills and more to pay for my college, as well as college for my two younger siblings. Unfortunately, my mother became very ill due to her substance abuse and almost died, so I am required to collect scholarships to ensure my future.

Although my mother’s alcohol abuse may seem like an entirely bad thing, I grew a lot as a person because of it! I had to become a lot more independent and caring, as I had to take care of my siblings. Also, once my mom recovered, she started a non-profit organization to help others that are in recovery from substance abuse as well, and I gladly volunteer to help her with it.

This experience has made me realize that those who can overcome addiction or substance abuse should not be looked down upon! Others often look down upon these people, for they think the addiction is a sign of weakness, even though these people had no choice in the matter. I now personally believe that recovering from substance abuse is a sign of strength, as a person needs to fight against their body to survive.

The reason I want to pursue higher education is so I can pursue my passion for helping others, through the field of psychology. By going to college, I’ll not only obtain a degree in psychology, but also help create better lives for others, which would, in turn, create a better and happier life for myself. I have always been fascinated by human behavior, so I want to explore this field as much as I can. Furthermore, college is important to me because it will be the start of the next chapter in my life. I will make new friends and learn life lessons, but most importantly, it will be my transition into adulthood. College seems like the perfect path to fulfill my dream, so I need scholarships like this one to follow that passion.

No matter what happens or has happened in my life, I will still try my hardest to follow my future and dream, and that starts with going to college and this scholarship.

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