A synonym for opportunity is Education. by Emma

A synonym for opportunity is Education. by Emma - October 2022 Scholarship Essay

At fifteen years old, I was ready to die, and I was prepared to be done with everything. At sixteen years old, I looked at the scars on my wrists and wondered how they kept multiplying because I kept saying it was the last time. Now, at seventeen, after a year of therapy and an official depression diagnosis, I have made it to this point, applying for college. Education gave me solace and it gave me the opportunity to get to this milestone in my life.

Going away to college has always been my dream, and I have worked hard to get to this moment. However, my hard work goes beyond my extracurriculars, varsity sports, and AP classes. I worked hard to stay alive and to live to see another day because, of the approximately 132 suicides per day, I was not one of them.

For me, education is an opportunity. However, I am not writing this for pity; I am writing this to share just how far I have come in the last two years and how hard I have worked to get to this moment. I always imagined moving into college, meeting my roommate and new people, going to classes, and being able to learn in a new environment that was not tainted with memories of home and my worst days.

Education gives me the opportunity to find a place that feels like home and offers a community where I can thrive. Education to me means opportunity.