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.