Maria Thomas
What I most desire in life
It had always been my desire to be a college graduate. The year was 1989, and at the age of eighteen, I made a drastic decision to move to the state of Florida seeking to learn English and become someone successful by attending college. Of course, as much as I wanted to take the world by my hands there were too many barriers I had to overcome.
I was and still am the first child of my mom and dad to go to college, I could not speak English and I didn't have a job or any money. Thank God for my mom who sacrificially helped me those first few years while I tried to find my way. It took about two years of intense English classes to finally be able to get a job and attend college level courses. In the process of learning English as my second language, I met a young American man. I fell in love and became pregnant.
Although, I thought that this new arrangement in my life was going to slow me down in my pursuit of a career, it would not kill the passion of becoming a college graduate. I continued to attend college in South Carolina at Midland Tech. Unfortunately, four years after we married and had our wonderful son we divorced.
As devastating as the divorce was, it was more devastating for me to think that my dream of going to college was gone. I became a single mom, without an education and with a burning desire to be someone. It was too hard to work full-time, go to school part-time and raise my child. There were times when I had no one to take care of my son, so I would take him to school, Valencia Community College, and begged teachers to let me keep him while attending classes. I would not let my dream die; however, my performance was poor due to the emotional and financial stress. The most devastating decision of my life took place in 1998 when I buried my dream of becoming a college graduate. I obtained a job at the United States Postal Service and became a rural carrier. I never stopped dreaming and praying to God to help me accomplish my dream.
In 2001, I met a wonderful man who proposed marriage and accepted my son as his own. My first request to him was to help me fulfill my lifelong dream of going to college. He agreed and although he does not have a college degree he worked hand-in-hand with me to help me accomplish my dream.
On May 3, 2007, I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.A. in Psychology with a UCF GPA of 3.77. I wish I could say that getting my undergraduate degree was easy. You see, my husband and I had twins, in 2002, and two years after that our last child was born. I attend school while taking care of four children. Traditional school was very difficult because of our lifes setting.
When our twins were born, I had to stop working and stay home to raise our three kids. In 2005 our last child was born and the idea of getting a job was no longer a possibility for me. I had three children under the age of three and a thirteen year old to care for. My husband was the sole breadwinner of our home. He worked and continues to work eight to ten hours a day. We would not be able to survive financially if he didn't work overtime.
My two years at UCF were bittersweet, sacrificial but very rewarding. I had to spend many hours during the night while my kids were asleep studying. As deprived of sleep, money, and family time as I was, the sense of accomplishment and self-fulfillment served as a drive to keep me going every semester until I graduated. It was and still is my desire to be a role model to my children. I believe in teaching by example and not just with words and thats why I motivate myself into reaching my goals.
In 2006, an internship opportunity became available and I began to work as an intern counselor with Journeys End Counseling, Inc. This counseling center offered me a part-time job after the internship opportunity came to an end. I accepted and worked for the company for about a year as a supervised counselor. Today, I continue to work for JEC as an administrator from my home on a part-time basis. It was through this internship that I discovered the joy of counseling.
My short term goal is to obtain a master's in psychology which will enable me to attend post-graduate school. My long term goal is to have my own private practice, a place where people can feel safe to find solutions to their own uncertainties. My goal is to be a Clinical Psychologist. My passion is to help people through counseling and teaching. Psychology is the field that offers me the best opportunity and in order for me to reach my goal I must continue higher education.
Since I am not a licensed counselor, my church has given me the opportunity to teach married couples. It is through this class that I am able to impart knowledge on how to maintain a healthy relationship. I love teaching. I so enjoy the interaction with the students. I learn as much as they do, perhaps more.
This is why I am so excited to write this essay. The thought of reaching my goal through higher educations is more exciting to me than if I was offered a brand new house, a trip, or the car of my dreams. At the age of thirty-six and mother of four,I am not finished in my pursuit of my ultimate dream, to be a psychologist.
Traditional school is not family friendly to our family. Online education would be a beautiful alternative for me and my family. We have children from the age of three to fifteen and with no money to send the little ones to day care, I am gladly forced to stay home with them. Thus, online education is the best educational route to attend graduate school. If given the opportunity to attend grad school through your scholarship program, it will turn my life and the life of my family around. I know that God has placed this desire in me and that He will make a way for me attain it.
Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story. I am sure that many women just like me will greatly benefit from such scholarship and so thank you for making it available.