Faith and Hard Work Make College a Reality

By DeAira, 17, Class of 2012

I will never forget the day that I logged onto my Spelman College student account and saw that I would get a full scholarship. I thought my eyes were deceiving me, so kept logging off and on. I was in complete awe and admiration for the miracle that God performed for me.

In addition to the Spelman scholarship, I received a laptop and $15,000 in extra scholarship money from my church, private donors, sororities and other organizations to use at my discretion. I graduated cum laude (with honors) as a theater major from New World School of the Arts in Miami, and have many honors behind my name. It was extremely easy to share the first part of my story.

Now, here’s the reality of the situation. I have not always had blissful moments on my road to a higher education. I come from a single parent home because my father passed away when I was 10 years old. He struggled with drug addiction years before his death. I have dealt with molestation from the men closest to me. My family, which includes two older siblings, has survived off an extremely modest income.

I have many memories of being made fun of because I had outgrown my clothes and didn’t have the latest technological equipment. I am no stranger to struggle. I wanted to share this because I want you know that you are not alone.

Throughout my life, I have had people tell me what I would never accomplish and speak negatively of my skin tone because it was “too dark” to be so pretty. I want you to know that you are beautiful, and you are worthy.

God designed you perfectly, and He knows that you can triumph over any situation. To accomplish your dreams, you must first KNOW that you can achieve them and be ready to roll up your sleeves and put in the work.

Lord knows how many scholarship/college applications I filled out and how many rejections I received. However, one day I prayed and completely surrendered, and gave the situation over to Him. I trusted that He would provide for my needs, and praying about it was the best thing that I have ever done. Never give up. Be determined to earn a college degree and make it happen. I plan to major in biology and become a cardiologist. With God’s help, I know it can be done!

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