I am from hardship to hope on the way to success. Growing up I had two hard-working parents. My mother worked full-time, provided for two children and managed our home. My father was a self-made tile and stone setter. Coming home late belligerently drunk was normal for my father, he suffered from untreated mental illnesses. On December 22nd, 2015, after abandoning his family, my dad committed suicide. I was enraged. I adored him. I was 11 and lost. My childhood was shortened.

As a family who lived paycheck to paycheck, we struggled losing our main provider. My mother had to empty out my and my sister's college savings to pay for bills and buy our groceries.

Determined to help my mother, I often did small jobs for family, friends, and neighbors to earn extra change to help support our living costs. When I was 14, I secured my first job at a local restaurant. By the time I was 15, I worked two jobs to support myself financially.

If my father had life insurance, my family of three would have received a sum of money to combat our income loss. My mother would have used the money to help pay our mortgage or help pay for our car. This in turn would have made it feasible for my mother to put back extra money in savings to collect interest overtime for me and my sister to use for postsecondary education. With life insurance, my family would not have had to rely on credit cards for everyday living expenses, which adversely affected our ability to save the cost of a higher education. We would have been able to afford all our groceries, rather than venturing to local food banks.

Sad to say, life insurance would not have saved my father, and it cannot bring him back. However, life insurance would have supported tremendously in the process of mourning; my family would've had time to process, grieve and heal before being burdened with the financial demands of life. I now understand the importance of life insurance; it cannot prevent death, but life insurance will help stave off the catastrophic aftermath of death for loved ones. Continuity of life occurs even when stopping for some, life happens so it’s best to be prepared for the worst.

I believe that if my father had stayed around longer, he would have discovered the world of mental health rather than succumbing to his depression. I presume life would have been slightly easier and I certainly wouldn’t be applying for this scholarship now. Grievously, the course of life is inevitable, and everyone faces some extremities they must overcome.

I aspire to pay it forward by becoming a psychiatrist. I can give to others what my father did not receive. I'm determined to go to medical school, study psychology, and expand my knowledge to discover the positive impact I will make in this world. I am breaking generational curses and would like to help others do the same.