Reggie Harris

I am an 18 year old male who lost his father at 6 years old. I still remember when my mother told me that my father passed away, crying in her arms for what felt like forever. It always felt like something was missing in my life after. My mother remarried; however, I still feel a void. I know my step-father loves me, but there is nothing like the love of a biological father. When I have times of sadness, I find myself looking at old pictures and thinking back to times spent with my father.

Now that I have begun planning for college, I realize that any dreams that my deceased father had for my college plans will not occur. My father’s death was sudden and he had not prepared for our future, he had no life insurance coverage at all. I do not have any money saved for college and will have to take out student loans, which is something I don’t want to do, but I will continue to apply for scholarships. I decided to find a college in state to save money, not my first choice, but this appears to be the best option for me at this time.

As I think about my future, I want to be able to attend college, obtain a degree and find a job after graduation, becoming a successful and purpose driven citizen. I now understand the importance of planning for your future, you are never too young to start. With my planning, I will focus on my children, whether they are here or not. I do not want my children to have to go through what I’m going through now. If my father had life insurance, my mother would have been able to save that money, specifically for college expenses. It would have relieved the stress and worry of not knowing where we will get money from to pay for college.

During the Summer, I was able to work and earned my very own paycheck, this helped alleviate me asking my mother for money. Due to me being involved in band and basketball, I did not work during the school year, but my first job was a great experience for me, as it taught me maturity and responsibility lessons. I realize that due to my current financial situation, I will have to work while attending college to help with expenses.

As I have matured, I realize that it is important to plan for your future. I know my father cared about me, but he did not plan for his future and he had no additional funds to pass on to me. I realize that life insurance is a necessity because it provides funds when you need it the most. At this time in my life, education is where I need funds the most, so I can have a future, teach life lessons to the next generation and make a substantial plan for my future, based off of my experience.