Khai Perry All-Star Memorial Scholarship

Growing up, the only adult I had to rely on in life was my elderly grandmother. I refer to her as my mother, but she was forced to take the role of both parental figures in my life. She took custody of me from my birth mother, who was heavily involved with illicit substances and struggled in rehab to turn her life around, especially with negative influences surrounding her such as my late stepfather. I never got to meet my birth father, and even my mom knew little of him. As I made my way through school, I was constantly asked about my ethnicity, and I had no simple response. Despite this side of my family being an eternal question for me, I worked hard to get good grades and make proud the part of my lineage I was familiar with. In my elementary school years, I was an only child, not yet aware of the existence of my sister and my younger brother still living with my mother. I was often secluded from others, whether at home where I would often stay in my room studying or on my devices, feeling detached from my grandmother. Taking care of me with no source of income other than social security benefits, she was too busy dealing with raising more kids to spend lots of time with me when I was younger. It scared me that she was so much older than the parents of my few friends, and I often spent my days at school worrying if she would be safe until I got back home. Instead of letting this interrupt my studies, though, I chose to help my mother live a more healthy lifestyle so she would be able to take care of herself for as long as possible. I struggled with depression in middle school, with feelings of hopelessness stemming from thoughts that my grades and personal relationships didn't match the effort I put into creating bonds and keeping up with my studies. I began talking to a therapist and worked to not move past, but embrace my negative feelings and use them to create a healthier work-life balance. My grades quickly rose afterward, and since then I've had a much easier time in school. As I grew up, I met like-minded people who I befriended, and with their help, I was able to challenge harder high school courses. I feel as though with this scholarship, I can relieve some of the financial pressure of college off of my family. Along with this, receiving this scholarship might reduce the concerns of my mother in terms of whether or not I can make it into college. My mom means the world to me, and with any assistance I receive, I hope to make her proud.