Rita A. Clark Future Educator Award

I feel that I have excelled in my education due to the obstacles that I have overcome. I choose to study at Salem State University because I am a Massachusetts resident and I do not want to be too far away from home but far enough that I can grow into adulthood and start my career journey. I have decided to attend Salem State because it is smaller in size and feels comfortable. I currently have a 3.6 GPA even though I have been diagnosed with multiple disorders. My life as a child was difficult, my biological father abandoned me and my sister when I was 3 and my sister was one. My mother did not work at the time and we did not have any money or family to help us. We moved 5 times within 5 years and did what we had to do to survive. My mother went back to school to get her Masters's degree to become a teacher, which is what I want to be after college. We compromised vacations for trips to the zoo, playground and library since they were free. Overall we were a happy family and made the best out of a bad situation. Since I noticed my mother working so hard to be a good person, I too took on that role to be an outstanding daughter, sister and kind to everyone that I met. My actions in helping students with disabilities such as autism are just one example of how I am leaving a legacy in my community. I am constantly bullied by my classmates because I am different but I try to overlook their negative impact on the world by becoming a role model and being someone that I wish others to be. I know through perseverance that I too can accomplish anything that I set my mind to. I feel that I should be considered for a scholarship because I also have big dreams of helping people, especially young children to become whoever they want to be. We need more role models in our lives with strong values and beliefs, but most of all people who believe in us as my mother believes in me. I suffer from anxiety and depression and have been in therapy for numerous years, through support and love I can say that I am now a proud part of the Salem State community. I was not sure if I would ever even attend college due to my disorders and low self-esteem. I would be honored to be considered for a scholarship. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I will make a positive impact in the field education as a school psychologist. I will not only be focused on the grow of students with disabilities but I will also be focused on the growth of all the children within the school that I work in after graduate school. I want to implement new ways of supporting students to help them grow and be the best versions of themselves. More importantly I want children and students and parents to know that schools should be a safe place, a protected environment in which they can learn, make meaningful relationships and have fun. My impact on education may not be directly hands on in a classroom but I can’t wait for the day that I can make a positive change for the students and the schools that I’ll work with in the future.