I Clearly Remember My Last Moment As An Undergraduate Student.

Growing up, school was not a major factor in my life. I come from a hard-working, middle-class military family. My mother, a Filipino immigrant, was a homemaker. My father was a 21-year United States Marine veteran. They were my first impression of what I thought my future would be. Being the youngest of four children, I was expected to fall in line behind my siblings when it came to education. I was never pushed to excel in my studies, so I did just enough to get by. As I watched friends escape the grasp of a military town and ascend to their respective colleges, I was left wondering what was next for me. I attended my local community college for a brief period of time. I treated college no different than high school. I

Everyone has a different story and background, but we all hold similar aspirations for the future. We can either let our background draw us into an inescapable black hole or use it to thrive over any obstacle. For many minority students as myself, the shot at college is the only chance we truly get to overcome our situations. It’s true that not everyone needs a college education to succeed, but the truth is not everyone has the resources to make something of themselves without the valuable education which a renowned institution like the University of Illinois has to offer. I come from a low-income family which had their share of struggles from an early age, which impacted our lives greatly. My decision on what major I possibly might be interested in pursuing might not have been directly linked with my family history, but the overall aspiration of attending college has. At the age of eight I faced the sad reality that I would be left without a father figure. My dad would be incarcerated for the next seven years for dealing drugs and at the end of his sentence he would be deported back to Mexico. This incident left a heartbroken family and a mother to fend for four kids all by herself. This overall incident was a wake-up call to better myself and not let myself be defined by the mistakes, which my father committed. I saw the struggles, which my mother had to endure.My mother is one of the most

Education is the main goal of college. I had always considered myself a person dedicated to the pursuit of more knowledge and a better education. My mother, being a teacher, had instilled these values in me. When I was in elementary, I tested into a gifted center and from there I tested into selective enrollment college prep. The obvious next step seemed to be college. Looking the scholarship given to me, it just didn’t seem to add up. I had scored a 32 on the ACT but my scholarship was barely covering half of my expenses. But I knew if a just gave up, the meant giving up on everything that I believe in. By pursing college I was able to be challenged, pursue subjects which interested me and discover new pathways that I was interested such as African American studies. Without taking that chance, I may have never received that knowledge.

A commitment to learning has been a driving force throughout my life. Having been home educated my entire school career allowed me to advance beyond my grade level, complete high school, and obtain an A.A. Degree from my community college; all by my 18th birthday. I eagerly anticipate both the challenges of the programs high expectations and learning alongside a community of likeminded women.

After barely graduating in the spring of 2017 from Lopez Early College High School, I went straight to my parent’s house not knowing exactly what I was going to do with my life. I knew I had ruined my life after not paying attention to my teachers and counselors about applying to colleges. They said I was a wonderful and intelligent student with a tremendous capacity of succeeding in life. Although everybody thought that about me, I never did. I was constantly under pressure thinking that I had to work in order to support my family economically, so our house was saved. I was also worried about whether my parents were getting divorced after every insignificant argument they had. I had to be an excellent example for my two younger siblings; but even though I tried my best, I never was.

I am a first-generation college student. My parents never got passed high school. They were both faced with hardship and had no choice but to get a job to deal with the responsibilities of home. My dad left India at the age of 16 to build a better life for himself and my mom in America. In my household, education has always been a priority. Since my parents have felt firsthand how life is like without a degree, they made it their mission to ingrain in us a value for education like no other. However, there have been many situations in which I have found myself lost and looking for answers about college. Sadly, by being a first-generation student, my parents could not help me. Not only could they not help me, but being the first to attend college

I have come from a struggling background. My parents never attended college and my mother has been the sole provider for my family for many years. I have watched her struggle trying to provide for us and I determined long ago that I would strive to do more for my future family than what she was able to give us. My dreams required that I attend college. It is because of the financial hardship my family faces every day that the financial burden that comes from attending college rests solely on my shoulders. Although I am employed, I do not make enough money to pay for the cost of living and my school expenses. My goal is to become an attorney and I do everything in my power to attain that goal. I excel in all of my classes and have become a leader on my campus and in my community. I rely on scholarships like the Silas Purnell Scholarship to recognize these attributes in me and with the help of this award I will be able to take my last step in my path of earning my baccalaureate degree and making my goals my

During my career at SUNY Orange, I have grown by leaps and bounds. I have mastered my short comings, earned a 3.5 GPA, made the Dean’s list three semesters and running, earned the Peter Albergani Inspirational Scholarship, and I was selected to attend the Exploring Transfer Program at Vassar College. SUNY Orange has opened many doors for me, doors I did not even know existed. I was not sure that I wanted to attempt to get my Bachelor’s degree, seeing as just getting my Associates degree was more than I ever imagined I would accomplish. That all changed when I was given the opportunity to experience what it would be like to attempt learning at a four year institution.

Before the first year of college came around, I realized that I had a lot of leftover money that had to be paid after my scholarships, knowing that my parents had no money to offer I was frightened. I was shaken to the core, I realized that my dream of going to college could all be over in a matter of seconds. Soon, I stepped into the financial aid office with my parents on each side of me and hoping for the worst. I soon found out that I would be eligible to apply for loans, yet I realized that there was still money that wasn’t covered with my loans. The last option was parents loan, and I looked at my parents and without hesitation took the loan. This was my dream and my parents wanted me to strive and took on something that they didn’t have to. I know that I will have to pay them cent by cent, but I know I will be able to do it. My parents were able to help my dream become a reality. I have learned that I do not have to be scared that I need to look forward and be proud of what I have accomplished so far. As my father told me to keep my head held high because I deserve to be in school like everyone else that my money should not make me feel like I shouldn’t be here at

I wanted to attend college as soon as I graduated from high school. Now the decision of where I wanted to go was the tough part. At first I thought I wanted to go to a four year university, but I then thought of some of the things that I may not like about going to a four year university. While I was in high school, I applied for many colleges throughout New York. While some I got accepted into, then there was some where I got denied from. I got accepted into The College of Saint Rose, University of Hartford, Suny Plattsburg, and a couple of others. I wanted to attend Saint Rose and Plattsburg, but I didn’t think I was ready to leave and be sort of off on my own. I am very close to my family, they are all my best friends. There were events in my high school time that made me believe that I am not ready for college, and I had to be right emotionally first. I thought the first day being in the dorm I would call my mom up and tell her that I want

I had an honest conversation with my parents and told them I had to leave the college and I wanted to attend a Historically Black College or University, like I originally planned in high school. My parents were fine with the decision, however, they informed me that they could not and would not be paying for my education and the financial burden would be on me. My second semester in college I focused on studying and talked with mentors and advisors about my feelings and plans. During that time I gained admittance to Tuskegee University and received a scholarship, however it was not the tuition scholarship I was hoping for. I continued working hard that semester, which lead me to raising my grade point average, that allowed me to receive the scholarship I had faith in

I have a great deal of confidence that given the chance I will accomplish much in college. My parents are hard-working people who make a little too much for financial aid but not enough to completely further my education. I have worked extremely hard all through high school to make the top grades. My grades are very good, but not the best of my class. I have been an officer of many organizations such as: Student Council, Interact, Forensics, Fellowship of Christian

First, let me justify why my desires for college are so big. My father was raised in Mexico, a known poor country. He had to quit high school to help provide for his family, something he constantly reminds my sister and me of when we grumble about school. He works so many hours to make sure we have a good private school education and everything we need. In the few past months, I

Both of my parents did not go to college. It was sometimes hard to find my college path and finding my way through High School without a guide. Thankfully I joined Upward Bound which is a college program at CSU. It was the asset through high school that helped prepare me for college. Upward Bound helped me become more comfortable with college life and showed me what I need to be successful through my entire college experience. Upward Bound helped up meet with people on campus who would help us transition from high school to college better. If you look around there are many different programs that help you prepare for college. Find one and make the most out of it because it will only benefit in the future.

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one student to dissolve the bonds which have held him to his high school life, he can get fairly intimidated. Making the transition from high school to college can be a tough one. I remember my experience in such a transition vividly, as it was only a short time ago.