Devonte #iBeatTheOdds Scholarship
Donation protected
My name is Ronnie Sidney, II, MSW, and I started to #iBeatTheOdds Scholarship for Essex High School students who beat the odds. Devonte, a young scholar from the state of Louisiana, sent me his essay. I thought it was a brilliant essay and I told him that I would help him earn some scholarship money. Please pledge whatever you can to help send Devonte off to school. Below is a copy of his essay:
Journeying through my life has dictated that I skillfully use an internal navigation system that prompts me to make adjustments along the way to stay on course. The first obstacle I faced was an apparent dead end. I was born in the small town of Marion, AL. I was the youngest child of four siblings, born to a mother with a drug addiction. My father died when I was two years old so I never had a real father figure to look up to. My mom did bring men into our lives, but unfortunately, they were not positive influences on my siblings and me. I witnessed my disabled sister being sexually assaulted by two of my mothers’ boyfriends. And though I was not physically abused, I did deal with feelings of abandonment as each man she introduced to us ended up leaving for one reason or another. I felt trapped and lived in hopelessness.
At the age of twelve my mom lost custody of her children, and we were forced to separate as custody was split among different family members. Though they did what they thought was best by taking us in versus sending us to foster care, it was unfortunate that the four of us could no longer live together. My aunt took custody of my sister and me, while my other two siblings went to live with their grandparents.
The next chapter of my life forced me to proceed with caution. Even as a young child, I was aware that my upbringing was dramatically different from many of my peers. Although we were no longer living with my mother, I cannot honestly say things improved as there was still no emotional support for me at home. In my aunt’s three bedroom houses lived a large family of seven. My place to sleep was the couch and sometimes the floor when other family members would spend the night. Even though I was surrounded by family, unfortunately I still felt alone and lacking guidance. No one cared if I missed two or three days of school each week. I did not have anyone available to help me with my homework. There was no discipline if I got suspended from school for fighting. No one told me that it was not good for me to be hanging out in the streets at night. My school constantly called about my behavior, yet there were no consequences concerning bad decisions I made. I was surrounded by family but still did not have the guidance that families typically provide.
I grew up with family and friends who barely finished high school and did not even attempt to attend college. Although I was a misguided kid, I dreamed of furthering my education so that I could get a degree and make something of myself. I knew there had to be more to life. Yet I found it difficult to stay focused on my aspirations because of all of the distractions and negativity that surrounded me. There were school fights, peer pressure, and extreme family conflicts. It got to the point where I felt like I was destined to either follow the path of those around me, or I could start a new path even if that meant walking alone.
While Marion will always be home for me, I knew that I had to find a new destination to rid myself of feelings of hopelessness, despair, and poverty before it was too late. At the age of sixteen, I took advantage of an opportunity to move to Slidell, LA with a family friend. This move was also symbolic of me moving closer to my dreams of obtaining a college degree.
Unfortunately, things have not magically improved for me since relocating. I have been rerouted several times, and my college dorm room will likely be the first stable home I have ever known. I have lived with four different families in the past three years. Each transition has been a bit more difficult than the last. I also have financial responsibilities that typical high-schoolers do not have to concern themselves with. I currently have a part-time job averaging 30 hours per week, which helps cover expenses such as my phone bill, groceries, school dues, and transportation.
Despite these experiences, however, I consider myself a conqueror because not only have I realized what is best for me but I have sacrificed in order to make my dream a reality. God is now surrounding me with a circle of people who provide the support I was previously lacking. They have encouraged me to reach for new heights, have provided emotional and financial support with my efforts in getting into college, and have even (lovingly) fussed at me when needed. While balancing work and a full course load, I have been able to maintain a 3.0 grade point average. I consider myself to be a “regular” teenager, and enjoy playing on the varsity basketball team and hanging out with my friends. I am even looking forward to going to prom later this month.
I will be graduating in May and have been accepted into Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA. I look forward to furthering my education, and am confident that I will be successful as I have already mastered certain life skills such as time management, adapting to new environments, and balancing multiple responsibilities at once. Although my childhood was difficult, I am now in a place where I can appreciate the lessons that those experiences taught me and I can in turn use them as building blocks toward my success.
Realistically I understand that college will still bring its own set of challenges. I will once again have to uproot myself and move to a new environment. I will continue to work while in school to ensure I have safe housing and other basic necessities. And I can only imagine that excelling in the engineering program will require an even higher level of resilience. While more speed bumps, potholes, and detours may await me, I trust that I am strong enough to continue to persevere. Because I have learned that the strength that lies within me is much greater that any obstacle that may lie before me. And I continue to trust that my best is yet to come.
Journeying through my life has dictated that I skillfully use an internal navigation system that prompts me to make adjustments along the way to stay on course. The first obstacle I faced was an apparent dead end. I was born in the small town of Marion, AL. I was the youngest child of four siblings, born to a mother with a drug addiction. My father died when I was two years old so I never had a real father figure to look up to. My mom did bring men into our lives, but unfortunately, they were not positive influences on my siblings and me. I witnessed my disabled sister being sexually assaulted by two of my mothers’ boyfriends. And though I was not physically abused, I did deal with feelings of abandonment as each man she introduced to us ended up leaving for one reason or another. I felt trapped and lived in hopelessness.
At the age of twelve my mom lost custody of her children, and we were forced to separate as custody was split among different family members. Though they did what they thought was best by taking us in versus sending us to foster care, it was unfortunate that the four of us could no longer live together. My aunt took custody of my sister and me, while my other two siblings went to live with their grandparents.
The next chapter of my life forced me to proceed with caution. Even as a young child, I was aware that my upbringing was dramatically different from many of my peers. Although we were no longer living with my mother, I cannot honestly say things improved as there was still no emotional support for me at home. In my aunt’s three bedroom houses lived a large family of seven. My place to sleep was the couch and sometimes the floor when other family members would spend the night. Even though I was surrounded by family, unfortunately I still felt alone and lacking guidance. No one cared if I missed two or three days of school each week. I did not have anyone available to help me with my homework. There was no discipline if I got suspended from school for fighting. No one told me that it was not good for me to be hanging out in the streets at night. My school constantly called about my behavior, yet there were no consequences concerning bad decisions I made. I was surrounded by family but still did not have the guidance that families typically provide.
I grew up with family and friends who barely finished high school and did not even attempt to attend college. Although I was a misguided kid, I dreamed of furthering my education so that I could get a degree and make something of myself. I knew there had to be more to life. Yet I found it difficult to stay focused on my aspirations because of all of the distractions and negativity that surrounded me. There were school fights, peer pressure, and extreme family conflicts. It got to the point where I felt like I was destined to either follow the path of those around me, or I could start a new path even if that meant walking alone.
While Marion will always be home for me, I knew that I had to find a new destination to rid myself of feelings of hopelessness, despair, and poverty before it was too late. At the age of sixteen, I took advantage of an opportunity to move to Slidell, LA with a family friend. This move was also symbolic of me moving closer to my dreams of obtaining a college degree.
Unfortunately, things have not magically improved for me since relocating. I have been rerouted several times, and my college dorm room will likely be the first stable home I have ever known. I have lived with four different families in the past three years. Each transition has been a bit more difficult than the last. I also have financial responsibilities that typical high-schoolers do not have to concern themselves with. I currently have a part-time job averaging 30 hours per week, which helps cover expenses such as my phone bill, groceries, school dues, and transportation.
Despite these experiences, however, I consider myself a conqueror because not only have I realized what is best for me but I have sacrificed in order to make my dream a reality. God is now surrounding me with a circle of people who provide the support I was previously lacking. They have encouraged me to reach for new heights, have provided emotional and financial support with my efforts in getting into college, and have even (lovingly) fussed at me when needed. While balancing work and a full course load, I have been able to maintain a 3.0 grade point average. I consider myself to be a “regular” teenager, and enjoy playing on the varsity basketball team and hanging out with my friends. I am even looking forward to going to prom later this month.
I will be graduating in May and have been accepted into Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA. I look forward to furthering my education, and am confident that I will be successful as I have already mastered certain life skills such as time management, adapting to new environments, and balancing multiple responsibilities at once. Although my childhood was difficult, I am now in a place where I can appreciate the lessons that those experiences taught me and I can in turn use them as building blocks toward my success.
Realistically I understand that college will still bring its own set of challenges. I will once again have to uproot myself and move to a new environment. I will continue to work while in school to ensure I have safe housing and other basic necessities. And I can only imagine that excelling in the engineering program will require an even higher level of resilience. While more speed bumps, potholes, and detours may await me, I trust that I am strong enough to continue to persevere. Because I have learned that the strength that lies within me is much greater that any obstacle that may lie before me. And I continue to trust that my best is yet to come.
Organizer and beneficiary
Ronnie Sidney II
Organizer
Tappahannock, VA
Devonte Harris
Beneficiary
