A popular, pro-woman saying in the 1970's, was the encouraging, "You've come a long way baby!" This phrase of affirmation reminds women that they can accomplish anything if they continue to move forward in their desires to face new challenges. On a personal front, it describes how far I have come in my life, and it will continue to be a "guide post" saying as I progress in life. By not applying myself in high school, I missed important educational opportunities that could have helped me develop my career interests, and subsequently, I have had to catch up while attending ECC; I realize now how important education is to get ahead in the world, and I am committed to making the most of future educational opportunities. My long term working experiences have taught me important lessons about taking on many responsibilities successfully while learning how to deal with people and while seeking new opportunities to grow on the job. The skills I have learned can be utilized in future work experiences and in my efforts to develop my profession. I now have the confidence and self-assurance to successfully pursue a health related career. My dedication to making this life goal happen makes me an excellent candidate for receiving this scholarship.
I have not always been confident and self-assured. I did not care for a lot of the classes I took in high school, and the amount of effort I put in matched my lack of enthusiasm; there were classes that I did enjoy, and these helped me realize that applying myself was necessary to achieve success in my future education. I struggled with the learning environment in high school because I was not mature enough to realize the importance of learning. I did not want to put effort into most classes, and I found grades did not motivate me to try harder. I went to class every day and listened to what each teacher said, but I did not see any benefit for doing outside school work in subjects that didn't interest me.