Davila Scholarship

Try to picture this moment: It is February of 2018. I started hearing an odd, gurgling sound coming from my mom's room. I immediately drop what I'm doing and run out of my room to see my mother starting to choke on her blood. I began to shake her body vigorously, but she refused to wake up, so I could only assume she was having a seizure. This wasn't her first time having an attack, but I wasn't there for any previous times. Having no clue what to do, I called 911 while shaking and slapping my mom to snap her back to consciousness. Unfortunately, in the middle of my call, her mouth overflowed with blood. Ignoring the bright lights coming from fire trucks and ambulances, I nearly screamed when I heard loud banging on my front door. I take a deep breath, hanging on to the hope that her condition won't get worse, and sprint towards my door to let the paramedics into our home. I follow them into my mom's room while answering any questions they ask. A female paramedic asked, "has she had any history with alcohol?" I yank back my mom's bed covers and find 3 or 4 empty vodka bottles. My mother has always liked to drink, but this is when it started to get worse. My mother was arrested multiple times for drinking and driving. She went to jail and rehab a handful of times. Every time she promised me she would change and get better, but she kept getting worse. My mother is a recovering alcoholic, but there was a time when her drinking and driving impaired ruined our lives. From 2018-to 2020, my mother was arrested three times for driving under the influence. Each time, our bond shattered more and more. I called everyone for rides to save myself from getting in a car with her. Every time we drove somewhere, I was in fear of her killing us or someone else. This went on for years. I was convinced that she loved alcoholic more than me. On September 18, 2020, she was arrested for her third DUI. This was finally the one that woke her up. She has been sober since that day but is still dealing with the aftermath of her legal issues. She cries every time she hears about a drunk driving fatality on television because she knows it could have been her behind the wheel. I still worry about my mother because I know that this is an addiction she will deal with for the rest of her life. I also know that not all stories end this way. I could have lost my mother to her addiction and carelessness. I could have lost my life because I was a child, and there was only so much that I could do to prevent her from getting behind the wheel. These are things that I will remember while obtaining my degree in Graphic Design. I want to learn from the mistakes of those who came before me. My mother is still dealing with the aftermath of her poor choices. Thanks to her poor choices, I will never forget how I felt and what I had to endure. I love my mother, and I am grateful for her progress; however, I will do everything to not follow in her footsteps. My art helped me a lot during that time, and I would help children use a form of art as an outlet if they are dealing with stressful situations at home.