If there is one thing that weighs heavy on my mind each and every day, it is the ideology of succeeding in life. Success is something that has never come easy to my family as many before me have failed in their pursuit for a better life. With my mother passing from an overdose and my father struggling with his own addictions in a rehabilitation facility, the pressure to succeed has become my burden to bare. As a child, I was part of the homeless youth due to circumstances outside of my own and occupied the streets with my other immediate family members. As I grew older and realized that school became my happy place, I realized that it wasn't the school building bringing me enjoyment... it was the opportunity that rose within those four walls. I have been dealt cards that have left me at a disadvantage in most aspects of my life. However, my ability to learn and prosper in my educational journey was always above average. To gain success in my eyes, was not only to achieve a perfect grade, but to do what those before me could not. In order to look back on my life and feel accomplished, I would want to see the path I have created for my younger sibling be paved clear for her. By breaking the generational curse within my family and achieving my goal as a financial consultant, it would bring forth my true meaning of success. As someone who faced many financial hardships in my younger years, it has caused me to hyper focus on my personal finances and how to take control of my debts. As a future financial consultant, I feel destined to help others in a similar situation do the same for themselves. Although my educational success has gotten me far in my ability to learn, I am nevertheless faced with the financial burden of affording my MBA program. To be awarded a scholarship that places me at an advantage to reach my intended successes would provide financial freedom in my journey. While many peers around me have experienced traditional paths and support from family, whether it was emotionally or financially, I was not fortunate in this regard. It is not often that professors are placed with students that came from my background and statistically, many in similar circumstances do not make it to their graduation day. This is where perseverance awakened me. I have been knocked down more times than I can count in my 25 years of life and nonetheless, I have never stayed down. The saying goes, "Get knocked down nine times and get up ten." That is the exact statement that summarizes my drive for success. Whether it was a job application denial, college program denial or unexpected financial burdens; I never stayed down. Although my path to education has not been traditional, I am grateful for the experiences I have faced as a non-traditional student. These experiences have made me appreciate the opportunity to attend higher education much more than others might as I truly see it as a blessing. As an individual who understands what it is like to have nothing, I actively volunteer for organizations like Gifts to Give. I use my social media presence to hold fundraisers where I raise money for addiction awareness each year on the anniversary of my mother's passing, in honor of her. With this scholarship money, I plan to lower my student debts so that I can monetarily contribute to recovery efforts for addicts who still have a chance to start over.

If there is one thing that weighs heavy on my mind each and every day, it is the ideology of succeeding in life. Success is something that has never come easy to my family as many before me have failed in their pursuit for a better life. With my mother passing from an overdose and my father struggling with his own addictions in a rehabilitation facility, the pressure to succeed has become my burden to bare. As a child, I was part of the homeless youth due to circumstances outside of my own and occupied the streets with my other immediate family members. As I grew older and realized that school became my happy place, I realized that it wasn't the school building bringing me enjoyment... it was the opportunity that rose within those four walls. I have been dealt cards that have left me at a disadvantage in most aspects of my life. However, my ability to learn and prosper in my educational journey was always above average. To gain success in my eyes, was not only to achieve a perfect grade, but to do what those before me could not. In order to look back on my life and feel accomplished, I would want to see the path I have created for my younger sibling be paved clear for her. By breaking the generational curse within my family and achieving my goal as a financial consultant, it would bring forth my true meaning of success. As someone who faced many financial hardships in my younger years, it has caused me to hyper focus on my personal finances and how to take control of my debts. As a future financial consultant, I feel destined to help others in a similar situation do the same for themselves. Although my educational success has gotten me far in my ability to learn, I am nevertheless faced with the financial burden of affording my MBA program. To be awarded a scholarship that places me at an advantage to reach my intended successes would provide financial freedom in my journey. While many peers around me have experienced traditional paths and support from family, whether it was emotionally or financially, I was not fortunate in this regard. It is not often that professors are placed with students that came from my background and statistically, many in similar circumstances do not make it to their graduation day. This is where perseverance awakened me. I have been knocked down more times than I can count in my 25 years of life and nonetheless, I have never stayed down. The saying goes, "Get knocked down nine times and get up ten." That is the exact statement that summarizes my drive for success. Whether it was a job application denial, college program denial or unexpected financial burdens; I never stayed down. Although my path to education has not been traditional, I am grateful for the experiences I have faced as a non-traditional student. These experiences have made me appreciate the opportunity to attend higher education much more than others might as I truly see it as a blessing. Another saying that speaks to me is, "There is no such thing as luck, you make your own luck". By speaking up about my story and putting in the work to get there, this is me... creating my "luck". Until I reach this goal, I will keep striving for my definition of success.

Looking back at my life before my mother coped with life's challenges with alcohol and drug abuse, is a memory I hold close to me as all I have left of my mother are the few and far between memories that we shared. One of my favorite memories that I still look back on is the memory of our weekly "family movie nights'' back when my family consisted of my mother, my older sister and myself. We lived in a small, third story apartment in Dartmouth, MA. I can still remember the layout of it in my head along with all of my mother's dragon themed wall decor she proudly displayed in each room. For our movie nights, the three of us would cuddle up on my mother's bed and watch anything from Disney movies to horror films like Resident Evil. I'm sure that watching horror movies at the age of seven wasn't exactly the best decision my mother made but it explains why I can watch all horror movies without fear as an adult. I remember brushing my mom's hair and practicing how to braid it while my older sister and my mother would play video games because I was too young to understand the controls of a Playstation 2 remote. We watched plenty of movies and I can recall the excitement when my mother would pick us up from school and say "we're stopping by BlockBusters so we can pick a movie to watch." As a family, we bonded over our movie nights because as a family who was considered low-income, it was an activity that was both affordable and meaningful to all of us. As years went on and my mother developed a relationship with her abusive boyfriend-turned-husband, I noticed a steady decline in the care we once received from her. I didn't know back then, but as an adult, I realized how dependent my mother was on her relationships. While many of your applicants may decide to talk about how their parent positively impacted their life, I am choosing to write about the mistakes that my mother had made. Seeing my mother make these choices, helped me consciously steer clear of making those same mistakes. By doing this, I have become a better person and an individual who can be proud of the choices I have made up until today. My mother taught me that drugs and alcohol will never love you more than your family. I have learned that no romantic relationship is worth losing my self worth in the process. My mother influenced me to break my family curse of not having the means or drive to pursue a higher education, which I have accomplished by becoming a first-generation college student. The loss of my mother has pushed me to keep going and not to settle, which is why I fought relentlessly to obtain the acceptance I long awaited for, a spot in the nursing program at UMass Dartmouth. By witnessing my mother fall so deep into her depression, she taught me that it is okay to be down on our luck, but staying in that dark place will lead to nothing beneficial. Most importantly, my mother influenced me to be more open and honest with the people around me that love me. The reason I say this is because my mother bottled up her mental health issues and masked them with her reliance on drugs and alcohol. These substances are what broke my family apart and what led to my mother losing her life. It is the reason that, when I miss my mother, I have to look at pictures and videos of her instead of having the option to call her. Although my mother was certainly not "the world's greatest mother," she taught me more lessons than she realized and I know now that she loved me the best way she knew how to.

Looking back at my life before my mother coped with life's challenges with alcohol and drug abuse, is a memory I hold close to me as all I have left of my mother are the few and far between memories that we shared. One of my favorite memories that I still look back on is the memory of our weekly "family movie nights" back when my family consisted of my mother, my older sister and myself. We lived in a small, third story apartment in Dartmouth, MA. I can still remember the layout of it in my head along with all of my mother's dragon themed wall decor she proudly displayed in each room. For our movie nights, the three of us would cuddle up on my mother's bed and watch anything from Disney movies to horror films like Resident Evil. I'm sure that watching horror movies at the age of seven wasn't exactly the best decision my mother made but it explains why I can watch all horror movies without fear as an adult. I remember brushing my mom's hair and practicing how to braid it while my older sister and my mother would play video games because I was too young to understand the controls of a Playstation 2 remote. We watched plenty of movies and I can recall the excitement when my mother would pick us up from school and say "we're stopping by Block Busters so we can pick a movie to watch." As a family, we bonded over our movie nights because as a family who was described as "low-income," it was an activity that was both affordable and meaningful to all of us. As years went on and my mother developed a relationship with her abusive boyfriend-turned-husband, I noticed a steady decline in the care we once received from her. I didn't know back then, but as an adult, I realized how dependent my mother was on her relationships. While many of your applicants may decide to talk about how their parent positively impacted their life, I am choosing to write about the mistakes that my mother made. Seeing my mother make these choices, helped me consciously steer clear of making those same mistakes. By doing this, I have become a better person and an individual who can be proud of the choices I have made up until today. My mother taught that drugs and alcohol will never love you more than your family. I have learned that no romantic relationship is worth losing my self worth in the process. My mother influenced me to break my family curse of not having the means or drive to pursue a higher education, which I have accomplished by becoming a first-generation college student. By witnessing my mother fall so deep into her depression, she taught me that it is okay to be down on our luck, but staying in that dark place will lead to nothing beneficial. Most importantly, my mother influenced me to be more open and honest with the people around me that love me. The reason I say this is because my mother bottled up her mental health issues and masked them with her decision to turn to drugs and alcohol. These substances are what broke my family apart and what led to my mother losing her life. It is the reason that, when I miss my mother, I have to look at pictures and videos of her instead of having the option to call her. Although my mother was not "the world's greatest mother," she taught me more lessons than she realized.