Personal Statement. Take 2.

Worst Important Essay I have Ever Written. One of the best essays I have written in twenty minutes. I'm not going to get a single dime. Pulling the pity card. Twenty minutes. What do you expect.

They say that the grass is always greener on the other side, which might be true since I live on the Other Side of the River. In fact a friend’s mom wouldn’t let her come over once because I “live in the Ghetto.” I am privileged enough to attend Dublin City Schools but I do not live in Dublin. My parents got divorced when I was younger due to my father’s gambling addiction and now we rely on my mother’s small business as a trade show vendor that aches with the economy. I maintain a job, working on average 25 hours a week, and I choose to remain involved in school while balancing a 4.0 GPA, because I can and because I care.

I may be on the peripheral of the perfect Dublin bubble, but everybody faces obstacles. And often times one will find that obstacles can be the most empowering. The obstacles that I have seen in my short lifetime of seventeen years forced me to become a problem solver. They forced me to either sidestep that challenge or to twist it around and use it to my advantage. Call me an idealist and I’ll tell you it’s my reality. I believe in the power of will. I am what I make myself out to be. If you did not ask for me to “address my financial need,” I would not have because I want to be acknowledged for my actions, not my circumstances. Success is earned, not given. And success to me is to impact another being’s life—not just for the better, but for good. Before I can significantly affect someone else, I first must begin with myself. I am asking for this scholarship because the grass might be greener on the other side, but I know how to water my lawn.