Brotherhood Bows Scholarship

As many do, there were a few times in my educational career that really didn’t feel fair and I thought how easy it would be to just stop caring. The first event was when my mom was involved in an accident where a distracted semi driver ran a stop sign and struck the driver’s side of her vehicle. My mom suffered major injuries that would change her life forever. However, we were lucky too because that collision could’ve been fatal. It would have been easy to use the accident as an excuse to let my grades slip and my homework slide. However, I was able to persevere through hard work with a sense of grit to overcome obstacles that I had learned from my mom. Little did I know it would prepare me for another time when I had to do the right things versus the easy. Two years later my dad was impacted by a liver disease. My dad had known this for years, but as he got more ill from his autoimmune disease it was time for a transplant. My family was blessed to have a family friend agree to donate part of his liver to my dad. I was around 14 during the time of the surgery. The transplant went well but like most surgical procedures of this magnitude, the recovery was long and many additional hospital visits were needed afterwards. For about a year and a half my dad had visited the hospital multiple occasions for long periods of time with my mom by his side. I was old enough that sometimes I would be at home taking care of my younger siblings and getting them ready for school. This was huge for me because it taught me responsibility and resilience in such a difficult time. Again, it would have been easy to let my schoolwork, behavior, or other commitments slide. My understanding teachers and coaches at Kickapoo probably would have even understood the situation and would have cut me some slack. However, I pushed through this difficult situation with my family and added to the resolve and work ethic that I had already acquired that has shaped me into the person I am today. Both of these situations were very tough on my family and I wouldn't have wished them on anyone else. However, my mom, dad, brother, sister, and I were an extremely loving and close family before these events and those bonds have only grown stronger since. We have taken turns supporting and motivating each other throughout and will continue to do so in the future. This strong foundation I have in my family will always be there as I work through college, my career, relationships, and life in general. However, I know that my family will not always be able to be there instantly or with me every step of the way. These traumatic experiences have also instilled confidence, a strong work ethic, and a sense of "grit" that can only come from life experiences such as these. I've been through tough times, I know there will be more in the future. I also know that these events will pass if you keep pushing and working through them. I've learned that everyone has a story and you have no idea what others may be dealing with. My story contains many peaks and valleys. I've learned to embrace the good times and celebrate them with my support system - my family. I've also experienced several major low times and through those experiences have gained the traits I believe will help me to be a more resilient, understanding, and hard working adult in the future.