Art of Giving Scholarship

Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” I do not define mistakes as failures; but as fighting through hardships. Despite the lack of stability in my life, I always persevered. I deserve this scholarship because no matter what obstacles life throws at me, I have the strength and determination to achieve my goals. Growing up Filipino, I lived by one rule: family comes first. When my mom told me family comes first, I thought it meant loving your family no matter what--that was not the case. When my mom got paid, she would send money back home--telling us to budget what we needed as we were low on funds. To combat my helplessness, I took online surveys and watched videos on Swagbucks to no avail. At 16, I found a job. Daily, I slept at 2 AM and got up at 6 AM for school. On good days, I would sleep a maximum of five hours! I worked so hard because I lacked stability. On Saipan, we have a CW visa that allowed immigrants to work for one year on a first-come-first-serve basis. My parents never had assurance with their jobs. During my junior year, the CW visa stopped. Thousands of immigrants were ready with plane tickets in hand. But, when everyone lost hope, our Senator's efforts prevailed. However, my dad's visa expired. He could legally stay on the island as long as he did not work. For one year, my mother was the sole provider of the house while we continued to send money to her family. When the coronavirus hit, my family and I just got back on our feet. For three months, both my parents did not have a job--living on what savings we had left. When my dad got his visa again, we lived off of one salary. One salary alone could not cover all the bills that grew over time, struggling to make ends meet. Seeing this, I took the initiative to start selling baked sushi to help my family survive. Finally, after six months, my mom started working again. However, our bills accrued to an amount we could not swallow. As I enter my first year of college, I continue to sell baked sushi. My parents losing their jobs took away all stability I had left. While we are still trying to find our footing, we are about to lose it again because of college tuition. I deserve this scholarship because, despite all the odds, I managed to persevere. Although I had a job, I managed to keep my GPA above 3.5 while serving as the NHS Vice President. By helping me gain my nursing degree, you are strengthening the quality of our health care, one person at a time. I cannot promise that I will cure every patient I see, but I know that my passion for the field will defeat any hurdle that stands in my way.

Due to the pandemic, I have spent the past year as a student at Buena Vista University in northwest Iowa, taking classes online from my home in Harlem, New York. This means that I join all of my classes synchronously via Zoom, despite the time difference. In some of my courses, I have been the only remote student, as my classmates attend the face-to-face classes in Iowa. While the past year has been challenging, and not how I imagined my college years, I have done my best to make the most of the situation and remain fully present in my learning. It can be easy to get lost or feel discouraged as a remote student since I am unable to physically socialize with my classmates, get involved in most extracurricular activities, and truly experience campus life. While I would love to be on campus, my financial situation, coupled with the effects of the pandemic, has prevented that. In the plainest terms, I simply cannot afford to live on campus. Currently, I live on food stamps and in public housing. I never know when in the month the food will run out or if I will have enough to pay rent. To make ends meet, I even sold my Xbox 360. Though I missed having this escape, it was more important to have a full stomach. My college experience has not been the first time I have battled these circumstances. I come from a background of poverty and hardship, but I am determined to obtain a college education and not only change my circumstances but also uplift my community. Despite these challenges, I am a fully engaged student, eagerly contributing to discussions, asking questions, offering examples and experiences, and participating fully in learning. I work hard academically, which is reflected by my 3.2 GPA. In addition, I have found ways to be an active member and leader in the BVU student body. I joined the Black Student Union, and I am a staff writer for The Tack Online, BVU’s multimedia news organization. Recently, I earned BSU’s distinction as “MVP for 2021” and was named The Tack’s Opinion Editor for the 2021-22 staff. I am proud of these accomplishments, and I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. Getting this scholarship will enable me to follow my dream and to build a great future for my family and community. I am a hardworking student, and I will commit myself fully to achieve great results. I have lived in public housing and on food stamps, at times not knowing if food would run out. This scholarship will save me from this hard life and enable me to focus more on my studies.