Losing both my parents due to health issues changed my life in ways I never expected. My father passing from cancer when I was 3 created a gap I still have today and simply can’t fill. My mother battled scleroderma, raynaud’s syndrome and drug addiction when I was 14, both of their deaths greatly affected me in so many different ways. Watching my mother decline for 2 years before she passed on October 31, 2021 was incredibly difficult to cope with. Throughout my middle school years my mother would be strung out on drugs in her room, I didn’t see her much and it became normal for me. She struggled a lot with her mental health and wasn’t the best mother to me and my siblings causing a strain in our relationship, but I still loved her.

Her death took a toll on my family both emotionally and financially. We always lived paycheck to paycheck, we never had any type of insurance. If my mother had life insurance me and my siblings could afford college without having to struggle. We could have given her a proper funeral. Instead, I had to make the difficult decision to move from my hometown Baltimore to Texas with my father’s side of the family to ease the financial burden. Having to leave everything behind and start new was painful and difficult, adjusting to Texas was harder than I expected. I had no friends here, I wasn’t close to my father’s side of the family causing my mental health to be at an all time low.

When I first arrived in Texas I lost all my motivation, it felt like my world was ending and nobody understood how I was feeling. Eventually I picked myself up, I refused to allow my circumstances to get in the way of my goals. By the end of the year my hard work paid off and I was able to raise my grades, since then I’ve pushed myself to get 80s and above in all my classes. I never believed college was a real option for me until now. If I stayed in Baltimore I wouldn’t have considered applying but now I can see myself attending and obtaining my degree. If my financial situation had been different I could consider other options other than community college, but this is the best option for me financially. Even with having a lower tuition I know I’ll struggle with paying it and balancing school and work all on my own. This is a challenge I’m willing to go through, nothing will stop me from continuing my education.

Losing both of my parents due to health reasons made me want a career in the medical field, being able to help others in ways I wished I could’ve helped them. This scholarship is one step closer to that, one step closer to making them both proud and proving to myself that it’s possible despite all my hardships.

Losing a parent could never be an easy experience, but the rapid adjustment that comes with entering college magnifies the trauma. Just five days before I was set to move into my freshman dorm in August 2023, my mother tragically lost her lifelong battle with mental health challenges and took her own life. Discovering this horrifying scene was something I would not wish on anyone, and it flipped my whole world upside down. I had to learn to adjust to a new environment while coping with this immeasurable amount of grief.

Aside from the obvious mental and emotional trials, this experience also raised financial questions. Due to my mother’s complicated medical past, she found herself virtually un-insurable, even as a disabled veteran. This led to the small benefit from my father’s work barely being enough to cover the funeral and burial cost, and nothing afterwards. Even after her death, the medical bills from the last few years of her life continued to pour in and put a financial strain on my family. These included bills from numerous hospital visits, medications, psychiatric interventions, and other resources. A sufficient life insurance policy or veterans benefits would have allowed my family to grieve in peace, although this new strain would not allow for that. Additionally, my father had already committed to leaving his job to better accommodate my mother’s conditions before her suicide. This puts my family in a very stressful financial situation, and I am still looking for any opportunity to alleviate this burden of paying for a college education.

I have always strived for academic excellence and this gives me even more incentive to do so. I have maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and through over 100 credit hours of college credits so far to maintain eligibility for any merit based grants and endowments. Additionally, I have worked hard to earn a partial track and field scholarship at Ouachita Baptist University, earning a spot on the Great American Conference all conference team last spring for my performance. I plan on pursuing a career as a physical therapist, a profession that is near to my heart from my childhood around my mother’s problems. I continue to work over the summer to prepare myself for graduate school by working as a physical therapy technician at a local clinic, amassing over 220 observation hours thus far. Additionally, I train local high school basketball players and volunteer with numerous organizations, including the Salvation Army and nearby special needs programs.

Although I find myself in these challenging circumstances, I refuse to be a product of my environment. These times have further instilled in me the values of hard work and determination. Instead of allowing my experiences and trauma to define my future, I aspire to overcome them and devote my life and career to helping others. While I will continue to face adversity, I know that good will come out of tragedy, and my pain will lead to healing for others.

Losing my father was the most devastating moment of my life. His sudden passing during my ninth-grade year shattered my world, leaving an emotional and financial void that altered my future. Without his support, my dream of attending college now feels uncertain, clouded by the overwhelming reality of tuition costs and student debt. I fear being limited to attending a college I can afford rather than one that best suits my aspirations. I do not want to feel trapped in my hometown, bound by financial hardship. Instead, I long to explore the world, to seize opportunities beyond my reach, and to experience the life my father never had the chance to. My goal is to study neuroscience and attend medical school to become a neurosurgeon, dedicating my life to saving others in their most vulnerable moments. His loss solidified my calling, strengthening my determination to bring hope and healing to those in need.

The lack of life insurance coverage has only magnified the struggles my family faces. Had my father been adequately insured, my family would have had financial stability, easing the burden of daily expenses and securing my future education. Instead, we live paycheck to paycheck, constantly worrying about how to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. The absence of life insurance meant that my father’s passing not only left us heartbroken but also unprepared for the financial challenges that followed. If he had been insured, my family would have been able to save for my education, allowing me to focus on academics instead of financial survival. Instead, I must navigate a future clouded by economic uncertainty, desperately seeking ways to fund my education without crippling debt.

To help support my family, I began working at the age of 17. I contribute financially, assisting my grandmother—who has since become my guardian—with bills and household expenses. Balancing work and school has been exhausting, yet necessary. Every dollar I earn is a step toward stability, a step toward ensuring that my dreams do not slip away due to financial hardship. I have also sought out scholarships and financial aid, determined to relieve some of the burden that weighs heavily on my family. These struggles have instilled resilience in me, reinforcing my commitment to my education and future. I refuse to let my circumstances define me; instead, I will use them as motivation to succeed.

Despite the hardships I have endured, my resolve to pursue higher education remains unshaken. I am determined to become a neurosurgeon, not just to fulfill my own aspirations, but to honor my father’s memory and provide a better future for my family. His passing has left an unfillable void, but it has also given me purpose. I will rise above my struggles, proving that even in the face of heartbreak, determination and perseverance can lead to greatness. Through hard work, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment, I will achieve my dreams and create a legacy of hope and healing.

On the Monday before Thanksgiving of 2024, I was rushing towards my dad’s room at the hospital ER when I received a text message from my stepmom that said “I love you. Don’t freak out when you see him.” Having no idea what happened, I stood up straighter, bracing myself to face whatever was on the other side of the door. When I pushed it open, my world narrowed to a single moment: the body of the man who raised me, barely clinging to life and almost unrecognizable, was lying before me in the hospital bed. I knew immediately by the yellow hue of his skin that he was in liver failure.

The next morning, my younger sister, stepmom, and I stood over him and held him in his final moments. Just after his heart monitor flatlined, my stepmom asked, “What do we do now?” That question is just as relevant in our lives today as it was in that moment. In the three months since, I’ve been trying to relearn how to function normally while coping with the trauma of witnessing his suffering. Nightmares have made sleep deprivation my new norm. Even though I allocate much of my energy towards keeping the heartache at bay, panic attacks ensue at random places and times. This is exacerbated by the fact that I’ve been working longer hours as a server’s assistant in order to support myself. It’s harder now than ever for me to maintain my 3.9 GPA. I’m in need of scholarships like Life Happens because they could alleviate the enormous emotional and financial weight on my shoulders.

My mom, who supports my three younger siblings, cannot help me financially. My dad was my sole financial support. The limited funds dispersed by his life insurance policy were allocated towards his hospital and memorial expenses, leaving nothing for my siblings, my stepmom, or myself. He had only a few hundred dollars saved at the time of his death. His investment in a more comprehensive policy would have made a tremendous difference in all of our lives. Now, I am on my own, terrified and unsure how I’ll be able to finish my degree.

I’m one year away from completing my bachelor’s degree in Spanish and afterwards I intend to go to nursing school. Before my dad died, I frequently thought of my future with excitement, eager to take on the rigorous challenge of nursing school and use my degrees to provide compassionate healthcare to diverse patients. Now, I feel a tightness in my chest when I think about what the next few years might look like. I
realize that without the help of scholarships like this one, I do not know how I will fund the rest of my education. My path forward has been frayed before my eyes due to this new financial hardship. Where before I could rely on my tenacity and discipline, I now have half my mind on funding my education. The future I envision is only possible with the help of the Life Happens scholarship.