My parents were college sweethearts, and my little sister and I became the center of their world. Dad was deeply involved and present in everything we did and loved us more than anything. His devotion to us was palpable, and losing him feels unbearable.
On top of our grief, and with very little life insurance, we now face insurmountable bills from the hospital, funeral home, and cemetery without the ability to pay our creditors. If we had adequate life insurance, so many things could be different. A good life insurance policy would have supplemented Dad’s lost income and would have helped us to make ends meet. Instead, we now have to sell my childhood home and move in with relatives. My disabled mother, a teacher, must now find evening work, and I have tripled my shifts at both of my regular jobs while picking up various neighborhood jobs. We have had to borrow money from family just to stay afloat. We are selling belongings, including cherished items once belonging to my dad, but it’s not enough. Having adequate life insurance would have provided me not only financial stability but the emotional security that goes along with it. Then, my family could have focused our energy and efforts where they should be: on each other, and on our grief and healing.
Good life insurance could also have helped to make my dream of college a financial reality. Desired out of state and private colleges are now financially unattainable. I worked so hard through school to overcome my learning disabilities and to get accepted to colleges, but now, the price tag is my greatest obstacle. I have always wanted to literally build a better world through engineering, and I still hope to get that chance. I also hope to earn a professional salary in order to assist my mother as she continues to raise my little sister.
There is now a before and after. In the before, there was happiness, stability, joy, and normalcy. In the after, there is financial instability, profound grief, and learning to rebuild our lives. Here in the after, my mother and I still seek ways to make my college dream a reality. One step is to become a candidate the Life Lessons Scholarship. Any financial assistance will be sincerely appreciated, taken seriously, and put to good use. I hope to one day return the favor and contribute to a scholarship just like this one.
Thank you so much for your consideration and for the chance to tell my story.