Purpose is not decided
It is discovered
From starting in Detroit, to taking on the World
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From starting in Detroit, to taking on the World
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Traveling overseas may seems like it's such a long shot, especially for minority youth like myself or young people in general. Don't get me wrong, getting the opportunity to do it doesn't come very often. It can be expensive and awfully stressful even considering traveling. As a child I always wanted to travel but I never thought I'd have the funds too nor did I believe I would be brave enough to go through with it. As I grew up, I realized that the things you want to do in life will always present themselves one way or another.
While attending Western Michigan University I realized how big the study abroad program was. After pushing my fear aside I decided to commit to the decision to study abroad. Before agreeing I had to make sure I would be taken care of financially. Luckily for me, I'm dating a scholarship expert and receive help finding scholarships for study abroad but there was still a boat load of work that needed to be done. I'm blessed to be in the position that I'm in but many people look at my situation and believe I was handed everything I have. The difference between me and other people is the fact that I take advantage of most of the opportunities that come my way. People don't realize how much work goes into achieving your goals. Many people are under the impression that you either get handed something or you just don't get it at all. This couldn't be anything further from the truth. There are a plethora of opportunities offered to us in life but that's just the beginning of the journey. After you get hired for a job the next step is to start working to earn a paycheck, It's the same when working to achieve a goal. I understand we may have setbacks and difficulties but that's part of the process. These are things that I'm still learning myself in my life. We have to accept opportunities knowing that it isn't over until you achieve your goal. While working on scholarships to study abroad, I put my full effort into each and every essay I wrote. My mindset going into these essays was to deliver material written so well that it would be impossible to turn me down. I wrote essays knowing that I was going to receive each scholarship I applied for. Unfortunately, I was turned down a few times by a few different organizations. I didn't receive every scholarship I applied for but I had to look at what I did receive. I was one of only a couple hundred people to be awarded the Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship for $3,500. In addition to that, I have received nearly $10,000 worth of scholarships for school as well as study abroads. It all started from the state of mind that I will not be denied! We can apply this logic to every scenario in our lives. This was a teaching tool that I will never stop pushing towards my goals no matter how impossible they seem to be. The opportunity to achieve your dreams will always show itself.
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I’ve spent 20 years of my life trying to figure out that question. "Who am I?" Right now I am a 20-year-old sophomore at Western Michigan University majoring in public relations and minoring in journalism & race/ethnic relations. Growing up in Detroit, I have seen myself as a lot of things and none of them included what I'm doing now. The number one question we ask kids is, " What do you want to be when you grow up?" Yea, like they know that already.
As a kid I wanted to be a movie star as I watched Chris Tucker run around the streets of Hong Kong in Rush Hour 2. Next, I wanted to play football as I watched Ray Lewis destroy quarterbacks on Sundays ripping opponents head off. The thing that I was missing was MY identity. Of course you won't know who you are at the age of 10 but that's the perfect age to begin shaping your identity. As I lay in my freezing cold dorm room on my concrete solid bed staring at the ceiling, I still wonder to this day who exactly am I as a person and what is my purpose. I believe our circumstances create who we are. Detroit is a city that will either make you or break you and I had no option but to succeed through adversity in the city. My city, family, and circumstances made me who I am today. Coming from a city where a multitude of the people have similar ideologies, I feel as if my job in this world is to give people a different perspective on things as well as getting them out of their comfort zone. To find out more about who I am, I decided to fulfill my dream of studying abroad which may put me in uncomfortable situations at times but that’s where I feel I will prosper the most. Traveling is a dream as well as one of my biggest fears and I feel in order to discover my identity I must take on my biggest fears. I will be the first in my family to leave the country which is a huge accomplishment in itself. While studying abroad or traveling around the globe, I will give you guys my perspective on things from exciting moments to my gigantic struggles. So, who am I? I am a risk taker who pushes boundaries, I am the author of my own life, I am the one who challenges the popular opinion, I am the head and not the tail. And unfortunately, I am also the knucklehead college student who will be pulling an all-nighter tonight because he has a 20 page paper due tomorrow and only has nine pages done. And at the end of the day it’s simple, I'm just a kid from Detroit. |
AuthorJustin Black
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