30 Days Of Thankfulness: Day 8

Today I am thankful for scholarships, grants, and hard work. When I was in high school, I worked very hard to make good grades that would not only get me into a good college, but would also make me eligible for scholarships. I knew that I wanted to finish college in 4 years and I knew that the inheritance my great-grandfather left me would not be enough to pay for school. I was willing to work a job to help pay for college, but that would leave little time to study.

 When I was a senior in high school, I was notified by my guidance counselor that I was eligible for the Collins Scholarship. This scholarship is only available to graduates of Corsicana High School, and if used correctly, can completely cover ALL college expenses. I was one of the lucky ones to get the scholarship. I think there were about 25 of us. To get the best "bang for my buck," I had to live at home and I had to attend Navarro College for two years. All of the money I would have used on Navarro College was rolled over to pay for two more years at a university. I applied for the Pell Grant and received $1700 a semester, which completely paid all my costs at the junior college level.

I transferred to Texas A&M-Commerce in 2005 and had more than enough $ saved in my Collins Scholarship to pay for all 4 semesters. It even paid for half of my rent after Jeremy and I got married. I did not finish college in 4 years, but as luck would have it, I received the Pride Scholarship from Texas A&M-Commerce to cover my last year of college. 

I am not going to lie, it was tough. I maintained a 3.74 GPA in college and sometimes worked 3 jobs. But, I was able to enter a marriage debt free. I never had to pay back student loans or worry about taking a job at a Title I school so that the government would forgive my loans. Instead, I took a job at a Title I school because I wanted to. I took that job because I wanted to work with those kids. I have had friends who act like I my life was handed to me on a silver platter, but the truth is this: I worked my tail off for everything I have and I am truly thankful that I did!