Kaelen's Returning to ASU - Help Us
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Thank you for reading. Kaelen is looking to return to Arizona State University to begin his sophomore year after having to sit out a semester due to insufficient funding. His goal is to raise $8,439 by January 6th to ensure he returns to school. Below, he has penned a letter expressing his gratitude for all contributions and considerations to all of those reading. He sincerely thanks you for you time, whether you choose donate or not. It really is appreciated! Anything you can assist us with is appreciated! We are hoping to reach out to a 100 people at $100.00 or 50 people at $200.00 to reach our goal. Prayers are ALWAYS NEEDED!
Expectation is not a bad thing.
I am very blessed to say that I grew up with my family in my corner through everything, thick and thin. Their encouragement and support allowed me to aspire to be something from a very young age, and in anything I did I always felt I was capable of doing it at the highest level possible.
I was, and still am, a pretty shy kid, but their encouragement enabled me to feel sure and confident about any task I committed myself to.
That confidence shined out of me as a child. From family members, to friends, to teachers... I’ve always had peers not only tell me they expected me to succeed, but hold me accountable to that standard.
Their accountability of me, in tandem with that of my parents at home, developed a high level of expectation for myself. My goal growing up wasn’t to just do well, it was to be the best. It used to irk the life out of me if I wasn’t the best (of course, coming home to discussions about why I wasn’t the best didn’t hurt, either).
As goes with life, the older I got, the harder I found it to be the best at anything. In fact, I found it difficult to be great, or even good at things.
I had to learn it’s okay to not be good at things, as frustrating as that is not only to myself, but sometimes to my peers. Perfection is the goal; an unattainable one, at that. At the end of the day, it’s something to simply strive for.
So, I continued to grow, but not without a nagging yearning to be the best. By junior high, I had to learn not to just give up on something when I found it difficult.
By high school, I began finding it easier to determine which tasks were worth committing complete effort to, and which ones I needed to commit a full-fledged effort to in order to get right, and which ones I needed to commit time for improvement.
It’s the will to improve and not cave in to disappointment that I’ve found to be key in getting me to the next level in my growth as a young man.
Perseverance, I believe, is one of the most admirable and greatest traits a human being can have. The will to push through trying times and difficult situations and managing to triumphantly outlast them is what I’d consider to be the peak of man’s evolution.
It’s our penchant as a human race, to overcome obstacles, amidst learning more about ourselves in the process. Each and every one of us, in some way or another do so every day.
So, what does one do when they’re called to overcome the obstacle of falling well short of both personal and public expectations?
They rise—they should, at least.
I’m longwinded, but allow me to say this: being out of college is the most depressing time I’ve ever personally experienced.
I feel as though I’ve failed not only my peers, but myself. And honestly, the fear of failing others has always been a driving force in me striving for success.
While at ASU, I spent time not only doing what I loved, but what I feel I exceeded at. As a print major, I was receiving compliments for my work in broadcast by peers. I feel the response was vice versa for my work in print, and even as slight growth began to appear, my enjoyment increased by ten-fold.
In fact, I more than enjoyed it. I loved it, and still do.
Even in my shortcomings as a writer and a sports broadcaster, I take pride in being able to correct what’s wrong. I almost crave the challenge, because writing, for as long as I can remember, is something that I’ve loved doing.
Reinforcing and bettering what I believe to be an area of strength enables me to have fun in the process.
At school, I had the opportunity to cover Division-I athletics, gain experience as a beat writer for an established paper, be a radio host and producer, on-camera and studio production work, as well as connect and work with professionals in my field. All this while forging relationships with friends I’ll be able to call such for a lifetime.
Even in being out of school, the doors of opportunity have been expanded as a result of my time there. Despite not being able to gain the type of radio, on-camera and newsroom experience I was receiving at school, while away I’ve still managed to write analytical pieces about ASU athletics, have been able to host and produce my own radio show, gain live on-camera experience, and continue to expand my professional network in my time away.
The work has honestly provided me solace and hope in the midst of this time. Unfortunately, for those unaware, my family has just now finalized an overdue divorce, which has taken three years of in-court settling to conclude, and has essentially dissipated our resources originally intended to use for funding my schooling. Consequentially, I needed to sit out of the fall semester, and my status for the spring semester is in jeopardy.
This is why I’m reaching out to you.
While my scholarships covered half of my tuition fees, the other half was paid for nearly solely by my mother. My aunt and uncle are very generous to donate to my schooling to guarantee my ability to finish my freshman year and towards my college career.
Now, I understand that you may be wondering that even if I were to resume schooling, how could I ensure I’d be able to continue my time at ASU without having to go through this again?
My mother and I have devised what we believe is a foolproof plan. With scholarships and less tuition owed, my tuition cost at ASU will go down once I begin my junior year. By then, we believe we’ll be stable enough financially to pay through without any hiccups along the way.
Thank you very much for reading.
For those who know me, I have always had a hard time asking my peers for monetary donation. I wouldn't necessarily say it’s because of pride, however I’ve always felt bad when I wasn’t able to properly repay someone for showing me generosity. So, this is difficult for me to ask, in a way.
I sincerely appreciate the fact that you even so much as slightly considered to donate and allowed me to go on about my current situation. Your support has been and always will be cherished as I take on life’s challenges. I understand that ASU is where I belong; I’ve never felt so comfortable and a part of, all the while enjoying what I’m learning and doing. It’s provided me plenty of opportunity, and having been out of school for this period, I now understand what I need to do to truly fully take advantage of my time there.
Words seriously cannot describe how grateful I am. Thanks and God bless.
Expectation is not a bad thing.
I am very blessed to say that I grew up with my family in my corner through everything, thick and thin. Their encouragement and support allowed me to aspire to be something from a very young age, and in anything I did I always felt I was capable of doing it at the highest level possible.
I was, and still am, a pretty shy kid, but their encouragement enabled me to feel sure and confident about any task I committed myself to.
That confidence shined out of me as a child. From family members, to friends, to teachers... I’ve always had peers not only tell me they expected me to succeed, but hold me accountable to that standard.
Their accountability of me, in tandem with that of my parents at home, developed a high level of expectation for myself. My goal growing up wasn’t to just do well, it was to be the best. It used to irk the life out of me if I wasn’t the best (of course, coming home to discussions about why I wasn’t the best didn’t hurt, either).
As goes with life, the older I got, the harder I found it to be the best at anything. In fact, I found it difficult to be great, or even good at things.
I had to learn it’s okay to not be good at things, as frustrating as that is not only to myself, but sometimes to my peers. Perfection is the goal; an unattainable one, at that. At the end of the day, it’s something to simply strive for.
So, I continued to grow, but not without a nagging yearning to be the best. By junior high, I had to learn not to just give up on something when I found it difficult.
By high school, I began finding it easier to determine which tasks were worth committing complete effort to, and which ones I needed to commit a full-fledged effort to in order to get right, and which ones I needed to commit time for improvement.
It’s the will to improve and not cave in to disappointment that I’ve found to be key in getting me to the next level in my growth as a young man.
Perseverance, I believe, is one of the most admirable and greatest traits a human being can have. The will to push through trying times and difficult situations and managing to triumphantly outlast them is what I’d consider to be the peak of man’s evolution.
It’s our penchant as a human race, to overcome obstacles, amidst learning more about ourselves in the process. Each and every one of us, in some way or another do so every day.
So, what does one do when they’re called to overcome the obstacle of falling well short of both personal and public expectations?
They rise—they should, at least.
I’m longwinded, but allow me to say this: being out of college is the most depressing time I’ve ever personally experienced.
I feel as though I’ve failed not only my peers, but myself. And honestly, the fear of failing others has always been a driving force in me striving for success.
While at ASU, I spent time not only doing what I loved, but what I feel I exceeded at. As a print major, I was receiving compliments for my work in broadcast by peers. I feel the response was vice versa for my work in print, and even as slight growth began to appear, my enjoyment increased by ten-fold.
In fact, I more than enjoyed it. I loved it, and still do.
Even in my shortcomings as a writer and a sports broadcaster, I take pride in being able to correct what’s wrong. I almost crave the challenge, because writing, for as long as I can remember, is something that I’ve loved doing.
Reinforcing and bettering what I believe to be an area of strength enables me to have fun in the process.
At school, I had the opportunity to cover Division-I athletics, gain experience as a beat writer for an established paper, be a radio host and producer, on-camera and studio production work, as well as connect and work with professionals in my field. All this while forging relationships with friends I’ll be able to call such for a lifetime.
Even in being out of school, the doors of opportunity have been expanded as a result of my time there. Despite not being able to gain the type of radio, on-camera and newsroom experience I was receiving at school, while away I’ve still managed to write analytical pieces about ASU athletics, have been able to host and produce my own radio show, gain live on-camera experience, and continue to expand my professional network in my time away.
The work has honestly provided me solace and hope in the midst of this time. Unfortunately, for those unaware, my family has just now finalized an overdue divorce, which has taken three years of in-court settling to conclude, and has essentially dissipated our resources originally intended to use for funding my schooling. Consequentially, I needed to sit out of the fall semester, and my status for the spring semester is in jeopardy.
This is why I’m reaching out to you.
While my scholarships covered half of my tuition fees, the other half was paid for nearly solely by my mother. My aunt and uncle are very generous to donate to my schooling to guarantee my ability to finish my freshman year and towards my college career.
Now, I understand that you may be wondering that even if I were to resume schooling, how could I ensure I’d be able to continue my time at ASU without having to go through this again?
My mother and I have devised what we believe is a foolproof plan. With scholarships and less tuition owed, my tuition cost at ASU will go down once I begin my junior year. By then, we believe we’ll be stable enough financially to pay through without any hiccups along the way.
Thank you very much for reading.
For those who know me, I have always had a hard time asking my peers for monetary donation. I wouldn't necessarily say it’s because of pride, however I’ve always felt bad when I wasn’t able to properly repay someone for showing me generosity. So, this is difficult for me to ask, in a way.
I sincerely appreciate the fact that you even so much as slightly considered to donate and allowed me to go on about my current situation. Your support has been and always will be cherished as I take on life’s challenges. I understand that ASU is where I belong; I’ve never felt so comfortable and a part of, all the while enjoying what I’m learning and doing. It’s provided me plenty of opportunity, and having been out of school for this period, I now understand what I need to do to truly fully take advantage of my time there.
Words seriously cannot describe how grateful I am. Thanks and God bless.
Organizer
Kaelen Fund
Organizer
Chino Hills, CA
