David Graham
In life it is rare to get second chance opportunities, but after finding your web site and program online, I realized that a second chance at receiving a scholarship was in fact within my grasp.
I grew up in a house with a father who was a doctor and a mother who was a teacher and one of the many things that they instilled in their children was the importance of an education. I did my best from elementary school throughout high school and was awarded a full scholarship to attend college. This is where the biggest challenge in my life began.
To set the tone for the challenges that I faced once I was in college, I will have to speak about my childhood. For several years during my elementary and junior high school years, I was sexually abused by my brother. I had no idea at the time how this abuse would dramatically affect my life in many different ways. One of those ways was becoming an insomniac in high school. Although I did not know why I couldn't sleep at the time, the structure that my parents provided kept me going although I was tired much of the time.
Once I made it to college, the structure was gone and I began to drink anything that would allow me to sleep at night from cough medicine to any alcohol that I could get my hands on. After two years of doing this along with other issues that began to creep up stemming from my childhood abuse, I eventually lost my scholarship and made my way back home. Angry at the world, my family and myself, I wasn't in the mind frame to go back to school immediately and began to work. After a few years of working in group homes for abused boys and becoming interested in technology, I went to technical school, graduated at the top of my class and met my wife.
After a few years of dating, my wife and I had a beautiful baby girl and continued our careers in the technical field. Being the main bread winner in my family made me take my eyes off of completing my education as I tried to work as hard as I could in learning as much as I could about business, proving myself and trying to get promoted. Helping to raise my daughter, supporting my family and concentrating on my career has taken all of the bandwidth that I could muster over the last few years.
Our daughter is now 12 years old, and we have been trying to instill in her what my parents instilled in us...the importance of an education and to not allow anything or anyone to keep her from reaching her goals. Although my daughter does not know of the abuse I endured as a child around her age and younger, what better way to set an example for my daughter than to continue on and complete my degree. When the time is right to share with her the story of my abuse, it would be wonderful for both of us to be able to end it with the fact that I am a survivor who has achieved one more of my goals and not a victim who allowed my abuser to dictate the outcome of my life.
In addition to setting an example for my daughter, I have been in the computer information systems field for approximately 15 years and I am finding that my career options are limited without having a degree. Although I have more technical knowledge and leadership experience, I have realized that others have been promoted around me who have achieved Bachelor's and Master's Degrees. With the support of my wife and family I have continued to grow and heal mentally and spiritually, but have decided that it is time to continue with my educational growth. The main challenge has been with the cost of completing my education, as not only do we have the everyday challenges with bills of our household and the cost of raising a child, but we are also paying for the burden of me having had my own business for a few years and the debt that came along with it.
I am ready to complete my degree online as attending a traditional program is not feasible with my commute and raising my daughter, and I truly appreciate you for providing this opportunity to allow me to be considered for this life changing second chance. I think it is great for you to include working Fathers, and if I am chosen as one of the scholarship recipients, I will dedicate myself to doing my very best to show my appreciation, make my parents proud and to set a good example for my daughter.
Thank you and congratulations to all scholarship recipients and all others who are trying to improve themselves!
David