Growing up in the inner city of Harlem, I have overcome many obstacles to make it to this point in my life. At a young age, my father ended up in prison for selling drugs. At the age of 18, my brother joined him after getting involved in a gang. I have watched many of the people I love fall victim to the pressures of living in poverty, and it is my mission in life to help young people in the inner city find a better path. If it wasn’t for a counselor I had the privilege of getting to know at the YMCA, I would have likely joined my father and my brother in prison or ended up dead like many of my peers.
At the age of 11 years, I met a wonderful mentor who helped me through the struggles I faced everyday as an inner city kid with a single mother and a brother who was constantly in trouble. I spent some time at the Y during that summer in a camp program that was free to kids in my neighborhood. In an attempt to help get me some guidance my mother signed me up. It was the turning point for me, because I met a camp counselor who took the time to get to know me over the summer and continued mentoring me throughout my teens. This counselor truly impacted my life and helped me make it through Jr. High and high school.
I chose to take a path much different than many of the students in my school, and I worked diligently to get good grades and find rewarding ways to spend my time. I have had the privilege of tutoring and mentoring younger students, and am proud to be graduating as Valedictorian in June of 2013. Over the past 3 summers, I have had the opportunity to work with youth as an Assistant Camp Counselor through the program at the YMCA. It has been a great pleasure and honor to befriend kids who have similar experiences to mine and mentor them onto a better path. Thus, I have decided to pursue a career in Social Work so that I can continue to help struggling youth. I believe that there are many awesome programs that help inner city youth, and I would like the education to take the next step in my career as a youth counselor.
Thus, I am requesting that you consider me for the scholarship available, so that I can continue on my journey of helping others the way I was helped 7 years ago. I desire to give back and positively impact the lives of young teens, and this scholarship will allow me to gain the education to develop and implement programs that can do just that. I thank you for your consideration for this scholarship and look forward to hearing from you soon.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
From an early age, I knew I desired to work with and educate children. I always filled the role of tutor, teacher’s aide, and educator. I find true pleasure and enjoyment in teaching children and working with families who wish to help their child with special needs. Through my education and work experiences, I have learned that everybody can learn, and often times, children with special needs just need to be taught differently than other children. That often requires teaching parents and family members the skills necessary to better teach their child.
After completing my Master’s Degree in Psychology and working for 6 years as an ABA therapist, I have realized that obtaining my Ph.D. will give me the added knowledge and experience to take the next step to help children with Autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities. Working with families with a child with special needs is my calling, and completing the Ph.D. program in Psychology will allow me to help families with all the steps involved in helping their child. One of the most frightening moments for many families is realizing that it is necessary to obtain a diagnosis to help their child. I want to make this process easier by utilizing my education and years of experience, in combination with becoming a licensed practitioner, to help throughout the entire journey.
I am applying for this scholarship to continue my education and obtain my doctorate degree. In combination with my work experience, my success in completing my Master’s in Psychology 6 years ago allowed me to graduate Cum Laude. I am excited to put forth the knowledge I have gained to be a valuable asset to the Ph.D. program. I ask that you consider me for this scholarship opportunity to help me continue in my journey of excellence in the field of psychology. This, in turn, will allow me to positively impact the lives of many children and their families by teaching others how to teach extraordinary children how to realize their dreams.
