Pursuing My College Degree

I cannot even begin to express how truly grateful I am to receive this scholarship. It has taken me far too long to muster up the courage and strength to finally pursue my lifelong goal of obtaining my college degree. Although I had always done well in school as a kid, my childhood was a bumpy road, and going on to college after high school was never discussed at home, let alone the importance of a college degree. Once I graduated from high school, I did what I felt was expected of me, I moved out, got married and started a family of my own. It did not take me long to realize how difficult it was to support a family on meager wages. It took a toll on my marriage and I soon found myself a divorced, single mother. Even though I had a good, steady

office job, it just wasn’t enough to make ends meet. I wanted and needed to better myself not just for myself, but for my children as well. I wanted to lead by example. I wanted them to be able to do what I did versus what I didn’t do. Even then my first step was not college, but rather I enlisted in the Army National Guard. Serving in the Guard helped me become a stronger person overall. It helped me focus on my goals in life and taught me that I had the strength within myself to do what I once thought I couldn’t do. For the first time I began to see myself as a role model for my children. I still wanted to attend college, but the financial burden of going seemed overwhelming. Although I fulfilled my enlistment commitment and received an honorable discharge, my enlistment period did not make me eligible for veteran education benefits.