Why I Deserve this Scholarship

 I am going to be awarded this scholarship by simply talking about my life. I believe I deserve this scholarship because I have a dedication to education and I also plan to be the first person in my family to graduate from a four-year university. I am also constantly trying to improve the lives of those around me by volunteering and taking on leadership positions.

Since I was little, I have always been the teacher’s pet. In first grade, I volunteered to tutor kindergarteners just so I could show the teachers how smart I thought I was. In second and third grade, I helped the teachers grade other students’ worksheets and file the papers for them. These habits continued up until high school when I realized teachers do not look at how much you want to help them, but how well you actually perform in their class.

Now don’t get me wrong, I always strived to be the best in the class too. My dad would always lecture me because I would take every test as if it was a race; I had to be the first to turn it in or else I wasn’t the smartest. From a young age, my dad also lectured me that failing was unacceptable. Actually, B’s weren’t even acceptable in my family. I remember when I had a C for the first time in a class my freshman year, and my father was outraged. He had threatened to make me quit all my sports and essentially stay in my room every day until my grade was brought up. I hated it at the time, but it helped tremendously and I couldn’t thank him enough for pushing me to be who I am today.

Of course, getting a bad grade scared me because I knew I would be disciplined but I made it my personal mission to be the best I could be. I beat myself up over an A- instead of an A, and I consider my life to be over when I see a B in the Gradebook. In college, I will no doubt be the same way. Academic scholarships have helped me be able to attend the college of my dreams, Saint Louis University. But with academic scholarships, comes great responsibility. I will need to maintain a high GPA in order to continue my education at SLU. SLU’s tuition is roughly $40,000 per academic year, and very few families can just pay for that out of pocket. I have big plans for college and every scholarship that is provided for me, I will be eternally grateful, as I plan to attend SLU for graduate school as well.

Another reason furthering my education is important for me, is that neither of my parents graduated from a college. My father attended Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville, but he dropped out after a year. My mother, on the other hand, went to Lewis and Clark Community College. She had intentions to graduate from there, but the college dropped her program while she was in the middle of it so she, unfortunately, holds no degree. I can, and will be the first in my family to get a college degree.

In summary, receiving this scholarship is very important to me. I should be considered for this scholarship because I am dedicated to my education and it is my biggest goal to be the first in the family to receive a college degree. Not only am I furthering my education, but I am also going to change the lives of those around me.

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