This I Believe
I believe in believing in yourself, having confidence, and dreaming big because keeping one’s hope alive can help you go a long way. In my life, one lesson was so powerful I’m sure I would not be the same without. I honestly do not believe I would be in college now were it not for learning to keep hope alive and believing in myself. My parents never completed college and, aside from being Hispanic, I have found we are a minority in more ways than one. Having the odds of succeeding in life stacked against me may have caused me and my family anxiety, however, my parents always had hope for me; so, at some point, I began to believe in myself as well.
Growing up, it seemed like everyone knew they were going to college and no one worried about it. That was never the case for me, I always thought of college as a portal to success that was out of my reach. Even from a young age, I was able to conclude that paying thousands of dollars for one year of college would be impossible for my parents to afford. I had heard of scholarships, but I didn’t think I could ever get one; I felt like I wasn’t talented, lucky or special enough to stand out. Unfortunately, I carried this burden with me from elementary school to middle school.
In high school, when I was forced to confront my college fears, I finally told myself that one way or another, I would go to college. I had seen throughout the years, just how tough it was for my dad to keep his family of five afloat amidst the crashing economy and I knew I could not allow a lack of a college education to be my legacy. Even though I had no certainty about my future, I kept my head up and dreamed of one day calling a college my home.
Throughout those four years of high school, I studied hard, got good grades, decided on a career in nursing, got involved in school clubs and organizations, won awards in art and music, participated in a German cultural exchange program, researched and then finally completed the scholarship application and college admission processes. Applying to colleges was hard because I wanted a quality school but I knew the cost was too high. I fought with myself and my parents, cried, got mad, and at times felt lost in the whole process, but then I would think of the students that got full rides to their choice of college and I reminded myself that I could be them too. I applied to a variety of schools with excellent programs and a range of costs, knowing I would get accepted, but unsure if I would get the much-needed scholarships I had applied for; yet, I still kept that hope alive inside me.
Just when I thought I couldn’t wait any longer, I received letters, each with better news than the last. To my dismay, every school was offering to almost cover all the costs to attend. All except for one, that one school offered me a full ride, and I breathlessly accepted. I am now a proud Bearcat at the University of Cincinnati and I cannot stress how much of a miracle it was for me to receive the news that my dream school, would be paying for me to have a chance at a better life.
After my college application experience, I have renewed confidence in myself, and hope for my future that no amount of rainy days could shake from me. George Anderton once said, “Hope is what motivates us to work hard and get things done. It’s the idea that something better will happen in the future because of what we do”; my hope allowed my dreams to become a reality, and now I know I should not limit myself because I can accomplish much more than I think I can. I intend to realize many of my dreams in the next four years that will help define me as the successful individual I know I can be.
Growing up, it seemed like everyone knew they were going to college and no one worried about it. That was never the case for me, I always thought of college as a portal to success that was out of my reach. Even from a young age, I was able to conclude that paying thousands of dollars for one year of college would be impossible for my parents to afford. I had heard of scholarships, but I didn’t think I could ever get one; I felt like I wasn’t talented, lucky or special enough to stand out. Unfortunately, I carried this burden with me from elementary school to middle school.
In high school, when I was forced to confront my college fears, I finally told myself that one way or another, I would go to college. I had seen throughout the years, just how tough it was for my dad to keep his family of five afloat amidst the crashing economy and I knew I could not allow a lack of a college education to be my legacy. Even though I had no certainty about my future, I kept my head up and dreamed of one day calling a college my home.
Throughout those four years of high school, I studied hard, got good grades, decided on a career in nursing, got involved in school clubs and organizations, won awards in art and music, participated in a German cultural exchange program, researched and then finally completed the scholarship application and college admission processes. Applying to colleges was hard because I wanted a quality school but I knew the cost was too high. I fought with myself and my parents, cried, got mad, and at times felt lost in the whole process, but then I would think of the students that got full rides to their choice of college and I reminded myself that I could be them too. I applied to a variety of schools with excellent programs and a range of costs, knowing I would get accepted, but unsure if I would get the much-needed scholarships I had applied for; yet, I still kept that hope alive inside me.
Just when I thought I couldn’t wait any longer, I received letters, each with better news than the last. To my dismay, every school was offering to almost cover all the costs to attend. All except for one, that one school offered me a full ride, and I breathlessly accepted. I am now a proud Bearcat at the University of Cincinnati and I cannot stress how much of a miracle it was for me to receive the news that my dream school, would be paying for me to have a chance at a better life.
After my college application experience, I have renewed confidence in myself, and hope for my future that no amount of rainy days could shake from me. George Anderton once said, “Hope is what motivates us to work hard and get things done. It’s the idea that something better will happen in the future because of what we do”; my hope allowed my dreams to become a reality, and now I know I should not limit myself because I can accomplish much more than I think I can. I intend to realize many of my dreams in the next four years that will help define me as the successful individual I know I can be.