Rondeanda Williams
I am a 24-year-old single mom with a 7-year-old daughter. I have been working so hard to provide all that I can for my daughter since I was 16. I had my daughter at the age of 16 in the 11th grade. I did not let having a baby stop me for getting my education.
I finished high school while working full-time at McDonald's with a GPA of 3.0 with Honors.
I was depending on a scholarship in track to help me pay for college, but my bundle of joy came when I wasn't prepared for the responsibility. Even though I didn't get the scholarship, I still tried to further my education.
I enrolled in a Voc Tech school and received a certificate in Medical Billing and Coding. I attended school in the morning and still worked full-time at McDonald's. I felt once I finish my internship I would be able to start a real career. But, once again something uncontrollable happened. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Everything I had worked for was destroyed.
I had to pack all that I had left and relocate to Houston. It was hard for me to get on my feet. I was unemployed for about a year and tried to get a job in the field that I went to school for but was turned down because I did not have enough experience. I have to admit that I did get discouraged, but I did not give up. I enrolled into a continuing education program at a local community college and received a certification in Health Information. That was really hard because I really did not have anyone to watch my daughter in Houston. I worked out deals with daycare for my daughter in order to finish the program. Right now I work at a home health agency. I am grateful for my job but I feel like I can do better.
I am still struggling working paycheck to paycheck with no savings. I believe that I am a great candidate for this scholarship because through all my struggles I have not given up. I am determined, focused and dedicated. What I hope that my daughter will see is that I did not let having a child at a early age stop me from following my dreams.
Going back to school is my only option to get where I want to be in life. Going back to school and getting the proper eduction will allow me to save and get a chance to own my first home. This time in school will be different because I will not just have a certification but a degree. And with a degree no one can take that away from me. Kowing what I want out of life and where I want to be in life drives me to keep going. Taking these online class will help me get there the right way.