The Creative Corrections Education Foundation scholarship has helped me tremendously this semester. I had lost my tuition assistance last year and was working two jobs yet still struggling to pay for school. Neither of my parents are able to help me pay for school as my father was recently released from prison and had no job and my mother can barely afford to take care of my three younger siblings. Over the summer break, before finding out that I won the scholarship, I was working more hours to try and save money to pay for school. Then I became sick and missed over a month and a half of work and lost my second job in the process. I was worried that I was not going to be able to finish my last year of school after working so hard and being so close to graduating. I was overwhelmed with my financial obligations and over an unknown illness that was holding me back from finishing school. Winning the scholarship raised my spirits immensely and gave me hope that I will be able to finish school this academic year even though it was a difficult time. My illness may still be unknown to me but I do know that stress makes it worse, but now I will have one of my major stressors resolved and that is all thanks to a wonderful scholarship.
