Keels Pay-It-Forward Scholarship

I honestly never imagined I would reach the age of eighteen. From the moment I was born, I felt a sense of inadequacy, convinced I was destined for failure. This belief shaped much of who I am today. As I reflect on my life, countless memories flood back, many filled with agony that sparked my struggles with self-confidence, depression, and anxiety. My education, unfortunately, suffered the most. Little did I know that my lack of self-sufficiency would eventually lead to becoming an academic failure. In elementary school, I was a dedicated student. My mother, an immigrant from Antigua who later became a citizen, always encouraged me to strive in school. She never attended college, focusing instead on supporting her four children while learning American English. Despite her challenges, she taught me to be diligent and intelligent, and I made sure to make her proud. I loved studying vocabulary, solving math problems, and taking my education seriously. But I was often one of the few in my class who felt this way. Many of my classmates didn't value school the same way. Our primary years were chaotic, with unstable teachers and constant disruptions. Still, I refused to let this hinder my learning. I kept reading, studying on my own, and maintaining high test scores, an area where African American students are often underrepresented. Teachers recognized my efforts, and their praise motivated me to push forward. Then the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted everything. Learning through a screen became unbearable, and I fell into a deeper depression, spending hours alone while my mother worked and my siblings were busy. School days felt endless, and I lost interest in learning. Soon, I began skipping Zoom classes and even falling asleep during them. I fought to finish middle school strong, but my motivation slipped away. High school felt like a fresh start, but I quickly became overwhelmed. Within months, I was falling behind and feeling isolated. My confidence crumbled, and I was consumed by hopelessness and anxiety. No matter how many times I reached out, I couldn't find support. I withdrew from school and turned to self-harm, cutting, not eating, just to cope. Things changed during my sophomore year when I transferred schools and met the school's therapist. At first, I was skeptical, but weekly therapy sessions became my lifeline. My therapist helped me reframe my thoughts, replacing all negativity with positivity. Through tears, fears, and laughter, we worked through my challenges, and over time, I began to heal. For the first time, I saw a future for myself. The change was clear to everyone. My grades improved dramatically, and I built healthier relationships with family and friends. My mother, who once felt powerless to help, now cries tears of joy, grateful to see me happy. I'm thankful for the support I received and proud to say I am motivated again. Looking ahead, I feel ready to continue my education and pursue a life full of positivity and full of purpose. I'm grateful I chose to keep going and excited for this new chapter in my life. This scholarship will encourage my passion to further my education. I would like to receive this scholarship to pursue a medical career in diagnostic medical imaging. Helping others, I believe, is my calling in life. I would love to make this dream come true.

Out of all of the challenges we've had in our lives from sexual assault to family separation, death I feel like the one that's always constantly on going is our financial hardship we've never been truly stable it's hard growing up knowing that your only working parent is never getting what he deserves just because of his race he's been working at community college since 2010 and was deeply discriminated because he was Puerto Rican his pay was always lower then everyone else's he's fought several times telling that it's not fair because he basically takes care of the whole north east which is true he'd come home always so tired from overworking himself they where so shameless to even give him tasks that was not his job saying that they'd pay him overtime for it but they never actually payed him what he deserved while other people that where always just sitting around never actually working got promotions my father never did he'd apply for a promotion and get denied even till now they are still the same way but my father stays because at least we get free healthcare we are a family of six and finance has always been so hard even when my mother would try to get jobs she worked as a home care nurse but it never really payed enough though when she was employed we were quite stable for a bit but she was laid off because no one needed help she has gotten another home care job now that pays a little bit above minimum wage but it's only part time it's now even extra hard with adding a new child to the family it was a surprise but a happy one even though we're struggling even though growing with that financial hardship we've always made it work somehow and are continuing to make it work sadly my mother is now paying off her own mother's debt which makes us struggle slightly more but. with growing up and even now seeing the struggle my family deals with it teaches me to make smarter financial choices and how to overcome them seeing this and how my parents taught me about it has shaped me into a person who understands financial struggle and discrimination with this I believe I can shape my future goals of becoming a business women in jewelry and pastry arts in a fine way that can lead to the least financial struggle and instead lead to success and great financial stability I believe I can truly do this with the Higher Education I can receive this fall but I can't do it without this scholarship if I am able to obtain this award I believe I can get the education I dream of and build my own business with this I truly hope I am chosen and get to be able to get the help of keels pays it forward so I can fight and help my family when retired know the word of financial stability.