William M. DeSantis Sr. Scholarship

Seek Discomfort! If there's one thing life has taught me, it would be that nobody achieves greatness without facing failure. Failure is essential for human development, it's how we learn and grow. Recognizing that has allowed me to understand that nothing in life would be worth doing if it came easy. The obstacles we all face are put there for a reason. Hard times build strong people and the lessons learned makes us all the wiser. Show me a person who's never failed and I'll show you a person who's never tried. I do not wish for an easy life. I only wish for the strength and patience to overcome the challenges laid in front of me. Most of us grow impatient and expect immediate results but that's not how it works. Slow progress will always be more gratifying than quick success. When chasing mountains of success, you can't skip over the climb and fully appreciate the view if all it took was a snapshot from a camera. Sometimes you've got to experience the grind to fully appreciate what it took to get there. As we move forward, we are confronted with the most readily available option to stop short and give up. Those who choose this option have truly failed. The ancient proverb that says "quitters never prosper" is still true and relevant. Once you decide to drop out of the fight, quitting suddenly becomes an option for the next struggle you endure. Soon one decision becomes several. As creatures of habit, we have to remember to develop good healthy habits. Our habits reflect our character which determines how the rest of the world perceives you. Do you want to be seen as a quitter or winner? Entering high school in 2001, I found the courage to join the VARSITY wrestling team with no prior experience. It was here, I learned the true definition of "HARD". My coaches would ask me throughout my first year if I thought about quitting, "Yes, absolutely" but that's as far as it went. Quitting was not an option, not for me. Pushing beyond my own limitations, I found euphoria. This after-effect made me gravitate to wrestling. With exuberance, I was willing to go through hell and back. Pairing a winners mindset with good healthy habits allowed me to chase down goals that seemed impossible in the beginning. 22 years later, I'm continuing to pursue excellence by seeking a second bachelors degree from the University of Miami. As I ascend towards a new peak in academia, I'm prematurely halted by the overwhelming financial barrier to entry. While exhausting all options, I aim to stay in the fight by seeking scholarship assistance to avoid the stranglehold of student loans. Moving forward with a scholarship would allow me to tackle a higher education in exercise physiology. This positively impacts my life in so many ways. It offers personal enrichment. With a knowledge base in nutrition and exercise, I'd have the opportunity to enhance my health and fitness, improving the overall quality of my life. It's a foundation that supports life changing results to strengthen and impact others through fitness and sports. Continuing my education contributes to a professional coaching career that enables me to obtain financial stability and satisfaction. As a community leader, my education affords me the credibility that comes with being an expert which I believe is essential when modeling leadership. We all have mountains to climb but none of us have to climb them alone.