Fuel Malachi's Dream to Become an Engineer

Who am I?

My name is Malachi Duncan, I’d firstly like to thank you for taking time out your day to acknowledge this letter and I can assure you that it would be worthwhile. I am a recent high school graduate, graduating from trinity college east in 2023. I am an industrious, self-motivated and ambitions young man. I partake in many extra-curricular activities such as football, music and many others. I am writing this letter to request support on heading into the next chapter in my schooling journey.

My story

I find it extremely difficult to write about my experiences while being confined to just words on a page. So, I will try my utmost best to write freely and let my thoughts, feelings and experiences flow thorough the words of this essay. This essay will provide a tablespoon of sand in the beach that is my life, and I hope that I am clear and understandable through every word of this essay.

Ever since I could remember, I have always strived for academic excellence. While some of my peers would be content with a grade B or C, for me, it was never enough. Having a mother who pushed me, really accelerated that drive for academic excellence. At my primary school, at the end of every academic year, they would have an award ceremony commemorating the outstanding students. I had been a recipient of the highest academic award since my entrance into the school. I could vaguely remember one specific experience where I truly understood my zeal for academic excellence. This zeal would have proven itself useful when I needed it the most, in an experience in my life that could have shaped my life for better or worse.

Although I had done well in my form 5 ‘CSEC’ examinations, there loomed a feeling of emptiness, a feeling of me knowing that I could’ve done better. This formed one of the reasons why I decided to pursue ‘A’ levels. I was determined to prove to myself that I could do better. As much as I loved academia, within the first year of ‘A’ levels I found new love, the love for Football. I would train tirelessly to make my school’s team, I neglected everything academic and focused on football. The balance between the two was non-existent. Delusional, I called myself a student-athlete, but in reality, I was just an athlete. At the end of my first year, my grades in the Cape examinations told no lies. It was a perfect example of imbalance between academics and athletics. That experience has created a massive impact in my life, forming an important pillar in my value system. I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life, I dropped out of the football team to right the wrong in my academia. I decided to rewrite three of the four courses that I did in my first year, giving me a total of seven courses in my final year. Every single teacher at my school advised me otherwise but I listened to the few voices that believed that I could do it.

Another one the hardest sacrifices that I had to make was moving away from my home and my mother, to live closer to my school. I was blessed enough to have had God sent individuals in my life who welcomed me with opened arms. Most notable, my best friend who gave up his own bedroom to support my journey, I would never be able to repay them for their influence in my life. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” Contained within this quote are the numerous hours I spent studying late at night, the all-nighters I did, one of which almost made me miss an exam and the relentless tenacity showed throughout the journey. I saw my initial failure in Cape year one, as a unique opportunity to make history at my school and prove to myself what I am capable of. In the end, I was able to outperform myself from previous exams. This experience has taught me a very important lesson that I will never be able to unlearn, “you can do anything once you put your mind to it through Christ who strengthens you.”

From as early as form 3, I always knew that I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer. I was always fascinated with mechanics and the way different machines work. In the beginning I had laid out a path for myself. I would finish my 7 years of school and fulfill my dreams in some school abroad; my mind was not yet made up on which school but I felt it in the bellows of my heart that I would be on a plane soaring through the clouds on my way to some university abroad.

The reason for such ambitions are my observations of the repetitive leadership in my country. It seemed like a land of monotony and government in and government out the same problems remained. I believe that if I were to remain here I would just add to the repetitive culture having the same ideals of my predecessors instilled in me through my continued schooling. The idea is that obtaining an outside perspective from one of the first world countries will help by giving me a renewed and freshened mindset towards modern problems that may occur in our developing nation.

My ask

I would like your organization to assist me in any way possible. A financial sponsorship or contribution is preferred but something as simple as helping me reach out to others so that the nation may hear my story can really go a long way. I am also open to negotiating a deal whereby after I attain my degree I can return and add positively to your organization. I cannot express the great thanks and apperception that I have for you for taking time out of your busy schedule to read this letter. This is my dream and I believe that with your help I can achieve it.

Regards,

Malachi Duncan.