ENTRY #2: Maya
My name is Maya Camacho, I am from Cincinnati Ohio. My mother is from Cincinnati and my father is from Ecuador, South America. Unfortunately at a young age, I have a memory of my mother collecting donations from friends and family to send my father back to his country for a proper goodbye. Because of the financial burden of not having any kind of life insurance or will, my mother sold everything she had and we went to live in Mexico for 7 years. My mother had more children and we all came back to start fresh. Living in Mexico showed me how necessary a college education is. My grief and heartbreak of not having my father has propelled me to seek opportunities to establish my own independence and break boundaries to have financial freedom. Through my mother's suffering, I strive to be better. I am humbly seeking a scholarship opportunity so that I may have a resource to complete my studies to become the first in my family to obtain a college degree in Mortuary Science. I believe in the American Dream of being who I want to be and here there are no limits or walls to stop anyone from a degree if they wish to have it. With no life insurance coverage placed, I was unable to have any grasp of the bigger picture in place. Adults should plan and meet goals for the future events to come because, in reality, they will come good or bad. My family's financial situation dishearteningly was unfortunate but also an important life lesson that unknown events always come around and reveal themselves. I graduated high school among the National Honors Society, received my phlebotomy certificate, and work PRN at various hospitals. I have a 3.4 GPA and maintain a smile every day because life is precious. Even though I might have missed out on the assurance of a life insurance guarantee I still have the positive reinforcement that I will break barriers and choose my own plan for my life. The saying in Spanish is, "Convierte tus heridas en sabiduria" Convert your wounds into wisdom. I will achieve my goal and become the first Hispanic woman in Cincinnati to have the first Hispanic funeral home. I will be an advocate for little children going through heartbreak as I did. I will comfort their gentle hearts and tell them it will be ok. I love school and resources and doors are open for me to find and utilize. Thank you for considering my essay and taking the time to read my story.