Personal Narrative: A Letter To The Pell Grant

Alfreda was a first generation college student. She had a difficult academic experience being one of only four African American students majoring in animal science. She used her social life to help her cope with the experience. Alfreda mentioned Zinck 's night which is a campus tradition named after a bar keeper in Ithaca that owned a bar that was a haven for college students. Alfreda found no interest in this event, however, she did participate in Slope day because it was an opportunity for her and her friends to celebrate the last day of school. Instead of participating in the university-wide homecoming, she mentions a separate homecoming sponsored by a Black fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha and the Festival of Black Gospel. She states:

Richard Nixon once stated “The American dream does not come to those who fall asleep”. If not for his words, I wouldn’t have realized the potential that lay within me. As of today I’ve achieved, in my own eyes, what’s come to be known as the American dream. During the past seven years, I’ve graduated from Washburn University, became a molecular biologist, and established a set of values that I live by.

National Honors Society is an amazing opportunity to be chosen for. By being accepted, it shows that the hard work that I have done in the classroom, and in the community have done well for not only the community but for myself as a person. Since I have started High-school, I have done many volunteer hours at my church. I have done many things such as help lead game-time for the little ones during a learning program called Awana. Awana is a program done by some churches to help raise children to love and serve God. I also help most Sundays in the sound room at church. I help to run the sound and the computer that displays the songs that we are doing that particular Sunday. I enjoy doing these things because seeing the children’s faces, enjoying

Coming to Virginia Commonwealth University with a major in social work has been one of the best things I have done in the year of 2016. I can remember awaiting my acceptance into Virginia Commonwealth University and instantly choosing to attend. For the remainder of my senior year of high school, I couldn’t wait to pack up and leave for VCU. Before I knew it, it was August 20, 2016, move-in day. Aside from leaving my parents and hometown, I was a bit upset about having to quit my job, the anxiety of being a broke college student hit me before I even stepped on campus. On move in day I was a bit anxious and a little nervous to leave my parents but at the same time I was ready to leave and explore something new on my own.

Purposely messing up at the 5th grade spelling bee because I didn’t want to be the smart brown kid. The worry or how I will be seen by others since 5th grade, has held me back from my ambitions and potential. The pattern academic failure lasted all the way until this past year. Last year I was a freshman at Saint Louis University, I was kicked out because I had a GPA of .27. I couldn’t tell my parents that so I pretended like I didn’t receive that letter and moved back in the start of my sophomore year, this past fall, and tried to petition. My petition was denied; I was given a 3 day move out notice with nowhere to go. I packed my bags, headed to a train station and was homeless for 3 days so I slept at a train station. An elderly white couple, who had “adopted” me as their grandchild when I was born was who I decided to reach out to. They offered me to live with them in Arizona but encouraged me to go home. I sent a text at 4:00am and took a train to come to a home where I wasn’t looked at, talked to, or valued. After being academically dismissed from Saint Louis University, I woke up to adulthood. My parents were very disappointed in me and they couldn't even look at

In summer 2010, I was not able to complete my classes due to difficult circumstances that arose and due to getting more than one F, it affected my academic standing in Houston Community College and I was put on probation. I had difficulties still arise after this, but was able to overcome them, raise my grades tremendously and graduate with honors.

For my three professional positions, I chose technical editor, grant writer, and content developer. From what I have read on reddit about a technical editor, they edit most things with the exception of news and fictions. This position includes a lot of proofreading, copyediting, and comprehensive editing. Someone mentioned the ability to read critically and analytically is an important skill to have in this profession as well as clearly expressing your ideas. As a grant writer, they do interviews on homeless people and process applications for grants and funds provided by the government, corporations, and foundations. In addition, they research, draft, and submit proposals to help organizations receive funds besides writing grants to foundations.

What is your Grant Plan for your life? This question has been something that countless people have been asking me since I first began to have dreams and goals for myself. And as I matured from a child into the young man I am today my dreams, which ranged from astronaut to Iron Man to President of the United States, have also matured with me and helped mold all of my ideas into the Grand Plan for my life that I am now pursuing. Growing up I realized that the best way to change the world and improve your own life, and those of others, was through higher education. I worked hard during high school and was able to get into the university of my dreams by staying motivated and focused. I am now an african-american college student majoring in electrical

I didn't have an idea of the financial aid requirements entailed till it was too late. Freshmen and sophomore year were a year of trials and tribulations. Completing approximately 12 out of 38 credits mostly due to the fact I was moving my schedule around to fit my schedule and losing multiple family members and getting diagnosed with ADHD and depression by the DRES department, I had so much to deal with that I found myself struggling. I wasn't able to redeem myself after I got my warning because even though I completed all that I registered for, I would still get my financial aid suspended. I have had to appeal ever since I got my warning because of extenuating circumstances such as deaths in the family and disabilities and other times because I had to because even though I complete every class I attempted for the previous semesters excluding fall 2015, I won't make the completion rate because I dropped so many classes freshmen year first semester.

I Jered Larkins 2262040 would like the opportunity to explain the extenuating circumstance that hindered my success in furthering my education. During the Spring Term 2013-2014 I was evicted from my place of residence. I have documents showing that I was a tenant at the time of the eviction. My uncle was the owner of the house and gave me permission to stay there so that I was able to attend school and find work to move into my own place of residence. Unfortunately my uncle fell behind on his mortgage and loan payments to the mortgage company that he received a loan from and I had to leave the premises. As for the Fall Term 2014-2015 my mother became ill and was admitted in the hospital for weeks at a time. My sister and I made sure that we

My involvement with the Honors Program and the Honors Club has increased over time. When I first enrolled in Pima Community College I was hoping for no more than a certificate that would allow me to access a well paid job in this country. The reason for this is that, even though I wanted to go to a four year university as I was doing when I lived in Colombia, I knew that higher education would be too expensive for me to afford as an immigrant that had recently moved into the U.S. I also thought that the language barrier would make it difficult for me to obtain the grades that I wanted. However, after taking my assessment exams when I first joined Pima and getting a very high score that allowed me to join the Honors Program, my curiosity and desire to further my education began to swell. After my first semester in Pima I obtained a 4.0 GPA, which gave the

For many immigrants they come to America for one purpose, achieving the “American Dream.” The American Dream’s definition varies from person to person, the definition in the dictionary states, “a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful”. Unfortunately, not everybody achieves their goals as many are stuck working low wage jobs, or in poverty despite working harder than other Americans. On the other hand, people who immigrated here are successful, owning a house, having a well-paying job, and being able to send money to their families. Overall, achieving American Dream of being wealthy and successful is a combination of luck, connections, and hardwork. For my assignment, I interviewed my neighbor, asking her about her experience in America.

As an immigrant, life was very difficult financially. With just the clothes on their backs my parents left their home country, Haiti, and came to the US in pursuit of the American Dream. They wanted a better life for my sisters and I, however, we faced many challenges growing up. It was difficult adjusting to a new country, language, and culture. My parents did not speak English nor did they have a formal education, so it was difficult finding a stable job to sustain us. We became dependent on public assistance in order to survive. We lived in a low-income, underserved area and attended low performing schools. Our family income was well below the poverty level but this did not stop me from pursuing my dreams. I was determined to not let my

Me and her calculated to having 20 credits for the following term. I thought that having that amount of credit was a lot to handle, but I was determined to try to do it. I was willing to do anything to try to keep my scholarship and financial aid because that’s been helping me pay for my books and tuition. Close to the end of the term. I was struggling with one class because of the amount of homework load I had in one class. I decided to talk to the professor, Dean Braa, and he said that I would not be able to pass the class and be given an F. I knew then that I couldn’t afford to get another F in my transcript when I was already trying to make up for the other F in Writing 135. After careful consideration, I decided to drop the class with a W. However, I was 3 credits short and I knew right there that I lost my scholarship and financial aid; I was devastated. I went back to talking to Sheree about what had happened and she discussed about how there is still a chance to appeal for my scholarship. I’m hoping that this coming up fall term I can do better in time management and

My thoughts on the overall experience on the assignments is that they have been a challenge and an excellent learning encounter to grant writing. Both U3 and U4 have challenge me to use my analytical, critical, methodical, and creative thinking. They gave me an opportunity to apply what I learned from the course itself. I looked at the assignments as a practice for what I am about to face as a professional writer.