No one has ever said being a single parent is easy and if they did, they were lying. Not only is being a single parent hard but pursuing my education and becoming a student isn't making life any easier. Although it may be hard being a single parent and trying to juggle school at the same time, it is also worth it. I wouldn't take being a mother for the world no matter what is thrown our way. Furthering my education is something I get to do for me. I also get to show my children that they can do anything. No matter how stressful, hard, or even when you think that there is absolutely no way you can do it. Turns out, you can. I am sure everyone has their own opinion on what we find most challenging about being a single parent and a student. They probably aren't wrong either. I could name many. The one challenge I face the most though would have to be finding a way to juggle it all and not giving up when things get out of hand. By that I mean, with children come constant interruptions, and although we don't mind them, we still have to put off being a student for however long it may take. So you start stressing and worrying about when and if you will get the assignment done and turned in before the deadline. Your patience runs out and then your temper kind of gets short. Then you start stressing out about that and it is a never-ending cycle. Being a mother comes first and I admit at times I sit here and just wish I could get this essay done. Five minutes. Five minutes is all I need. I am a mother of three beautiful kids. They are my heart and soul. I am very low-income based. This scholarship would help me by not having to worry and stress so much about my college expenses. As you can imagine having three kids and being a single mother is far from cheap. Prices just continue to rise. The cost of living is ridiculous nowadays. I need to stay in school though so I can further my knowledge in the career I have chosen. I know my kids see me struggling and I hate that. I want to give them the life I never had. In order to do that, I need to stay in school. I fear I won't be able to if I don't receive some help. Barley getting by as it is and when it comes down to it, my children and their needs always come first and although staying in school will pay off in the long run, I am low on money now. It will come down to staying in school or keeping a roof over my childrens heads and food in their tummies. When that happens I will have no choice but to stop school. This scholarship will help more than anyone could imagine.

Being a parent isn't always easy. No one said it was and if they did, they are lying. We do our best and pray that we teach them all they need to know to succeed in life. I am twenty-six years old. I have three beautiful children. My oldest, who is eight, has ADHD and struggles with dyslexia. My middle child, who is six years old, is on the Autism Spectrum (level 3). He is also non-verbal and suffers from high sensory disorder, intellectual disorder, and global developmental delay. Last but not least, my youngest, who is 5 years old, is the smartest little boy I have ever met. He is in pre-k on a first-grade level. So "painting a good example for my children through self-improvement and determination" is a must. As it should be with every child. The definition of self-improvement is the improvement of one's knowledge, status, or character by one's own efforts. In my house, I do my best to paint a good example of this to my children every day. It is very important. I show my children that although we may fail at times with whatever it may be, it is okay. Without failure, there is no room to learn and strive to do or be better. No one is perfect and everyone is beautiful in our ways. Just as I NEVER get upset when mistakes happen, I also ALLOW my kids to fail. why? So they can learn from their mistakes. I show them by not hiding my mistakes or hiding my effort to improve. Self-determination is about making your own choices, learning to effectively solve problems, and taking control and responsibility for one's life. Also means one experiences the consequences of making choices. For children, self-determination relates to identifying personal interests and needs, making choices, solving problems, and regulating behavior, often with adult support. While self-determination skills are important for all children, adolescents, and adults, they are even more important for children with disabilities. Youth with developmental disabilities have been found to have less self-determined behavior than their typically developing peers. Examples of ways I try and "paint" a picture of this to my children are by always giving them a choice and allowing them to make their own decision upon the choices I provided. As well as showing them self-regulation. For example, when one child makes a mistake I have the child think again of what he or she just done and he or she may have could do it differently.