FOR SAMANTHA'S REVIEW!!! :)
College has been an interesting transition in life. I remember telling my parents that I wanted to go to college right away in order to strive and achieve my degree as quickly and efficiently as possible. I wanted to show them how great of a student I could be, and not only that, but a better person that I would become. It was an indirect promise I made to myself and my parents; to at least one day be able to support them as they supported me throughout my life. By gaining this degree in Meteorology, I feel I can do anything. To be able to help them and not let money stand in my way would bring great aspiration to me and my well-being. It saddens me to know that money is the blockade of many goals and dreams for so many young people and I want to overcome that. After voiding this boundary, my world of achieving anything I wanted for the good of them and others would be boundless. THIS is my motivation.
I remember when I was young, I would enjoy watching The Weather Channel. Why this was entertaining to me I have no idea. The reminiscent thought of my family telling me to change the channel warms my heart. My dad would tell me that I would watch it all of the time and most of it I remember. Watching the Local on the 8’s, Storm Stories, and other great shows and broadcasts on the station simply made me interested and happy. I remember anticipating rain coming into our area. I absolutely loved it and still do. From that point on, I have fallen in love with the weather, how it goes around, and how it is unpredictable. To use the latest and greatest science and still come out with a minor faux-pas in the prediction shows that there is still much more to study and so much more background! I would love to study the patterns of hurricanes in the past years to see if there is even anything we could predict. So by all of this, Meteorology seemed to be the perfect major for me. I want to do something I love. I guess I do really have my head in the clouds.
Right when I graduated high school in 2006, I went into two Summer I courses at San Antonio College and set a course for College Station, Texas for the Fall semester at Blinn College. This was going to be the first time I had ever been away from my family and San Antonio. It all grew on me when I was there, even though the only people I knew at the time were my roommate and my girlfriend. I was in a whole different world of responsibility, growth, self-discipline, and independence. It was the beginning stages of my “metamorphosis” as the person I am now. My parents paid for my apartment rent until we came down to a financial crisis which had already begun in the Summer session. My dad was laid off from work due to the downsizing of the company and the money flow went down. Knowing that this was happening, I went ahead and got a job with Target in the Spring of 2007 to help lighten the burden I had put on my family for going out of town. Of course I stayed in school this entire time as well. I had to discipline myself and this lifestyle has stayed with me to this present day.
I work and go to school, yet I have returned to San Antonio, Texas trying to save money to afford college. I feel as if I have been through many tough roads in my life, from supporting my own college life (living expenses, gas, food, etc.) to going through rough family oriented situations while in College Station. I feel that a little bit of financial assistance, even the least bit, would ease some of the stressful tension in my life. I’m sure financial aid would ease the tension for anyone for that matter. Knowing that I won’t have to work overtime at work to pay for all my college tuition this semester would simply lighten the burden. I know I am a hard worker and a hard working student and I strive for the grade in school. Yet, I know I am not Superman and keeping a part/full-time job and being a full-time student has impacted my life in both positive, but more so negative ways. To be granted the scholarship that the people at Alvin J. Cox Memorial Fund are providing would be a true and great blessing. I hope everyone at the Memorial Fund makes a wise choice because even I know that there is probably someone out there who might need the money more than I do. If by chance I am offered the scholarship, I will always keep these nice people in my mind, my prayers, my future goals, and my future achievements knowing that you all impacted my life and helped me get to where I wanted to be. Thank you; you all have my sincere gratitude and I wish you all wisdom and ease in your searches and decision for this program.