I know that im be the best candidate for this scholarship because I'm determined and focused on the end result of achieving my goal. I am a returning student who is trying to complete my teaching degree. I graduated high school in 1996 pregnant and a year and a half aafter had my second child, plus I had no idea what i wanted to do for the rest of my life. So I took the time to be the best parent i could and didn't attend until both kids started school. In 2003 I attended school for Child and Adult Care and Education, I held a perfect grade point average making the presidents list and was president of my class as well. It was somewhat a difficult achievement while also being a mother of two kids, but I was proud of myself. At the end of the program the state requirements were changed adding more classes that were needed to complete the degree. So instead of a degree, I finished with a certificate. I was greatly disappointed. Around the same time I had gotten pregnant once again. So took time out again not knowing if I even wanted to attend again after being so upset by the results the first time and knowing that with three children it would be even more of a challenge. Eventually I went back. This time I went to school for sonography bring able to transfer some of my earned credits into the program. I completed all of the General classes and credits required and when it came to the core classes was then told that there was a SEVEN year waiting list and only a few people were accepted in every year. So even though I had good grades, others did as well and were on the waiting list as well. I felt like I had just wasted more time and efforts on school once again and was so mad about not being able to obtain a degree with all the years I've put into college. Now id have to either wait years or find yet another subject id be interested in and would hopefully be able to transfer credits once again. The class that was closest to what I had most recently studied was Radiology Tech. So once again switched my life career. I attended school for about a year and a half to two years becoming increasingly bored with the subject I would had never chose in the first place and overwhelmed with doing both parenting and trying to keep my grades up. Eventually just quitting. Upset with myself and the whole educational system, I swore id never go to school again! Since then I've had my fourth child and my two oldest children have themselves graduated high school, attended college and obtained their own homes and have jobs. Now I have a fourteen year old and a seven year old at home yet so both attend school making my days wide open. So I've thought about it and have come to the conclusion that I want to, yet again, go back to school. I don't want my children to see me as a quitter, and have to prove to them that it's possible. Also, for my own minds gratification, I have to finish! I have to have the satisfaction of completion. So here is where I start over once more with the objective of completing and getting a degree doing something I love to do. I realized from the pervious attempts that in order to fly through school and have good grades, that I have to do something I really love and enjoy. When I took classes I in the subjects I really loved, it was easy. I couldn't wait to learn. I wanted all the knowledge I could absorb all of the time! I loved school. Towards the end when it was just something that fit in with my credits, my grades dropped and I was uninterestedand really hated to go, resulting in my quitting. So, I've had all this time to find things I love. Things I'd be extremely interested in learning about and that I could love doing the rest of my life. During my time out, I had been a half owner of a clothing store and really loved doing that but a couple years in found that the other owner was stealing from our profits and has to eventually close down. I continued selling clothes, shoes and purses and the money I made was ok but not what I was trying to achieve. I then started an LLC and began a party bus company under it. This was bringing in the most money of any job I'd ever had. Unfortunately, I had been in an abusive relationship with my two youngest children's father and did not see a cent of the money made. But fortunately, six years ago someone decided to help me and I was able to finally leave that relationship behind me. Since then I've been struggling to rebuild my life and find myself again. Trying my hardest to get back onto my feet and continue on for not only myself but my children as well. Now that I don't have anyone guiding my decisions and my path, I've been able to discover things that interest me so much that I want to consume myself in learning about them. I've made the choice to continue on and finish. I have chosen to put myself where I can get that fulfillment. I have something to prove to myself, my kids and everyone else who has thought and/or stated i would never hold a degree or finish anything. And even now there are people who claim to love me, but as I am writing this told me to quit wasting my time because I wasn't going to get any scholarship! I'm too old or have had too much time off. I won't let anyone detour me.