My Aspirations for the Upcoming School Year by Haidie

My Aspirations for the Upcoming School Year by Haidie - August 2025 Scholarship Essay

In 2020, my life took a turn I could never have anticipated. I was in a major car accident with my roommate, and that single event became the beginning of a downward spiral. In the months and years that followed, I found myself in multiple car accidents, I lost my housing, and my relationships with friends and family crumbled. There were moments when I didn’t know if I even wanted to keep living. It took me a long time to process my new reality—one that involved constant medical appointments, injections, spinal surgery, and counseling—just to get back on my feet.

Eventually, I began to heal, both mentally and physically. I made the decision to push myself forward rather than stay stuck in that dark space. I started my own social media management company, earned my certification in digital marketing, obtained my insurance license, and even adopted a dog who brought joy and comfort into my life. These achievements reminded me just how short and precious life is, and they reignited my dream of becoming a psychologist—a dream I’ve carried since graduating high school in 2009.

This past year brought another life-changing experience. After 29 years of separation, I reconnected with my father. The journey to this reunion was unexpected and nothing short of divine. While traveling to Senegal to explore my cultural roots, I happened to meet someone on the plane who knew someone connected to my family. One introduction led to another, and before I knew it, I was meeting relatives I never thought I’d find. Taking that trip was a leap of faith. I had no guarantee of what would happen, but I stepped forward anyway—and it changed my life.

This upcoming school year will be my first time back in a classroom in many years. My main aspiration is to finish what I started by earning straight A’s and boosting my GPA. More than that, I want this year to be a year of completion—a time to fill in the missing pieces of my life’s puzzle. For a long time, I believed school was out of reach because of my health, my finances, or any of the countless excuses we can make to avoid chasing our goals. Now, I see those excuses for what they are: barriers I can overcome.

What motivates me is my faith, my community, and my renewed sense of purpose. I have people in my life who truly believe in me and want to see me succeed. Growing up in poverty as the child of immigrant parents, and being separated from my father for most of my life, I was led to believe a false narrative about my past. Learning the truth has been both healing and empowering. My nervous system feels calmer, my path feels clearer, and my heart feels ready to finish strong.

This school year isn’t just about grades—it’s about proving to myself that I can persevere, that I can complete the journey I started so many years ago, and that I can turn my trials into triumphs. I know the importance of education, and I am ready to walk in my purpose with full faith that I am exactly where I’m meant to be.