Personal Narrative: The Robinson Scholar Program

It took me such a long time to understand my worth, and now I know that I am capable of anything. I do not need anyone to tell me who I am, what I am supposed to be, or how I should present myself. I was told my entire life, exactly who I was supposed to be. I never once thought of who I wanted to be. I was so concerned with how others saw me, that I didn’t care about myself. After my first year of high school, I realized I’d had enough. I became a strong woman. I was no longer a little girl trying to please the world. I am now one of the toughest people I know. I fight for myself and for the people I love. I know what I am worthy of, and who I am. I’m a woman who has been to hell and back, looked demons in the face, and said to them, “No, you don’t own me”. I deserve this scholarship because I have fought my entire life, through my father’s death, physical and sexual abuse, mental disorder and all. I have fought to make something of myself, and I refuse to give up and let everyone who told me I would be nothing laugh at me. Instead, I will prove them wrong. This will inspire young people to go on, and do what they love, no matter the

Growing up with a father in the military, you move around a lot more than you would like to. I was born just east of St. Louis in a city called Shiloh in Illinois. When I was two years old my dad got the assignment to move to Hawaii. We spent seven great years in Hawaii, we had one of the greatest churches I have ever been to name New Hope. New Hope was a lot like Olivet's atmosphere, the people were always friendly and there always something to keep someone busy. I used to dance at church, I did hip-hop and interpretive dance, but you could never tell that from the way I look now.

Scholarly personal narrative (SPN) was developed by Robert Nash who integrated the personal story into resect. SPN study tells a story that can clarify an issue beyond a specific case studied (p. 127, Brookfield). SPN is a research method that brings the researcher’s personal experience as a legitimate study form (p. 1, Heidelberger & Uecker).

During my two last years of high school, i've been in contact with a lot of colleges and universities. Many of which don’t get my attention. Throughout my whole high school years, there was only one college that i wanted to go to, Liberty University. I have heard so many wonderful things about Liberty and what i loved the most was that it was a christian school. Liberty had the number one thing that i am looking for in a college, that is a christian school, but many of my other things that i look for in a college where just not there. I used to live in Florida approximately 11 years ago and let me tell you, it's hard not to miss the sunshine state. Liberty is in Virginia, a state where it doesn't feel like home. When i received a brochure

So, on a Saturday morning, I headed to TVMSC to take the entrance exam. Oh, I failed to mention an important fact: To even get into this school, there was a five hour long test the equivalent of a college entry exam (just another item on my long list of reasons not to go to this school). When I arrived to take the test, there was a flock of “nerds” waiting to take the test. Their faces conveyed emotions of either nervousness or excitement. I sat down, and soon the test began. It wasn't as arduous as I expected. In the weeks that followed, something clicked. Was it the mature portion of my brain convincing the childish portion I needed to be challenged? Well, whatever happened, I eventually came to the conclusion that this school was right for me. I would be choosing the harder path less traveled, even though it was littered with hard work, but I decided it was better than learning little to nothing. Two months later, I received an email from TVMSC notifying me I was accepted. Guess who else was accepted? My friend Cole. TVMSC was going to be

I am one of the following students who had the chance to obtain the South Bay Promise Scholarship. I didn't know about the South Bay Promise, nor the First Year Experience. I am thankful for having such an amazing statistic’s teacher, Mr. Espinoza from Hawthorne High School. When he told the whole class about the opportunities here in El Camino College, I knew I had to apply because it would make different. If it wasn’t for him, a teacher so passionate on seeing his students not just graduate but to motivate them to go to an university or a college after, I would never be in the place that I am.

Freshman year of high school was a scary, but an exciting time. Going into a new building with new teachers and three other grades is terrifying. But this story is going to talk about my most memorable moment: getting my letter and being accepted into Freshmen Academy Honor Society. Winter of early 2014, i got my letter in the mail about being eligible to apply to be in Freshman Academy Honor Society. Which shocked me, but it also made be happy. It showed me that I’m capable of a 3.0 GPA or even higher.

Over my years of school, one big influence on me has always been sports. Ever since a young age, I have always enjoyed playing and watching sports. In my four years in high school, I have fell in love with the sport of lacrosse.

I had lost hope and started applying at other colleges. Thankfully, I was in the Oklahoma Promise program, which would allow me to attend any public university in Oklahoma tuition-free for up to four years. Even though this was an excellent opportunity, I was upset I would not be attending a college with a Christian atmosphere. Then, about two months later, I received a small letter from College of the Ozarks. I had heard accepted students received large packets, so I believed the small envelope confirmed what I had already known, I would not be attending the college of my dreams. I opened the letter and the first word, “Congratulations” made me jump with joy. I had never been more excited in my life; I immediately thanked God because I knew without Him intervening in my life I would have never been granted this amazing

As I sat on the couch getting ready for the first day back at school, I heard the phone in the kitchen ring. I stood up to go answer it and I heard loud footsteps coming down the stairs. My mother was running down the stairs to answer it just in case it was one of her work calls. I noticed that her voice started to crack as if she was going to cry and the smile that she once had on her face had disappeared. The person on the other end of the phone was my Uncle Dylan from California calling to let us know that Aunt Liz had died in a car wreck. We were so devastated but little did we know she left me $12k. A couple days later I received a letter in the mail saying that I had to use it to help pay for my tuition. I am looking to attend the nursing program at Lindenwood, Missouri State, or St. Louis University.

HELLO GUYS!!! I have something veryyyyyyyy important to tell you! After all of my stressing about FAFSA ( Free Application Federal Student Aid) , Colleges, and Transportation, I decided to further my education at Rowan University. It took me a long time to make this decision because this wasn’t my first choice! My first choice/ dream school was LIU Brooklyn ( Long Island University) in Brooklyn, New York. I was recently accepted there and planned on attending there, but their out-of-state tuition was extremely high! Their tuition was $33,000 a year and poor black man like myself, cannot afford it. I really loved LIU because it's a great school, beautiful campus, and most of all, it's in New York. I had my whole planned before it even started,

One failure in my life was being removed from the magnet program after seventh grade at East Columbus Magnet Academy. I had gotten a 78 in my English class. I could not believe I had let that grade drop so low. To me, A C felt like an F. At first, I was distraught, but learned to accept that I had to change schools. The transfer was rough, but I soon grew to like the school in my district. A few months into my eighth grade year, my English teacher at my new school, Marshall Middle School, asked me if I was interested in something called the T. Hiram Stanley Award. Each of the eight middle schools in my city was allowed to nominate one student. The winner was awarded $3,000. I was awarded $1,000. Even though I was not awarded the highest, I

Melinda Gates once said, “kids are falling through the cracks and nobody notices it. That to me is what's wrong with the school system.” The American school system claims to want every child to thrive, but teachers give up on students they feel are not worthy of their time. In “I Just Wanna Be Average” by Mike Rose, Rose discusses how his school placed him on a certain path that eliminated his motivation and love for learning. The labels that brand every student make or break their educational careers. Mike Rose’s “I Just Wanna Be Average” depresses me as an alumna of a public school system. Having seen friends and classmates caught by the current of my school’s expectations, I know that students are put on tracks as soon as they step

“Congratulations, you have been accepted to Rutgers University-New Brunswick.” These words were, to me, the words of accomplishment and pride. However, these were not the only words Rutgers University wrote to me. In the Fall of 2015, I was an incoming senior at Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Excited about the years ahead, I applied to many schools throughout the United States. I applied to two schools in Alabama, two schools in Indiana, two schools in New York, and only one in New Jersey-Rutgers. My initial goal was to be my own person and go to a University that no one in my family had attended. In fact, my goal was to attend Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. This was a dream because my closest grandfather had planned to go there to study engineering. Being a bright student, he was accepted with a scholarship. Getting ready to leave to form a new beginning and only a few days before graduation, his father passed away. Unable to go from New Jersey to Indiana knowing that his family needed him, he decided to stay home and run the family tile business. Years later when my twin brother and I were born, he was God’s blessing to us. Growing up without a father, he stepped in to fill the gap. As

I needed to become the best I could be, working hard instead of sliding by. I talked to the moderator of the program, asking her how I could become better. I did not want to know why not- I just wanted to know how I could become better suited for the position. Keeping in mind the moderator’s suggestions, I became even more involved, took on more leadership roles, and worked harder than I had before. When it came time to apply again at the end of junior year, I knew that I had become the best I could be. When I went to go and pick up my letter that would tell me if I would become an Ambassador, I knew that I would not care if I was not selected. After all, I had changed so much as a person; I knew that not being selected would not be something personal. I opened my letter along with other students, and just read the first word: “Congratulations!” I got validation for all of my hard work. I was so proud because I knew I had changed for the