How I Won A $500,000 Scholarship Just After The Death Of My Father In Riyadh Essay Examples

It had been two weeks after the death of my father when my mother delivered news that High School completion results at Ibn Al Khaldoun School in Manfuha, Riyadh were out and I had performed well. Immediately, I became overwhelmed in the awkward situation, feeling totally challenged. My mother looked at me directly with a lot of love and belief and told me that it was high time that I had to figure out how I could continue with education to be employed in future, so that I could take over from where my father had left. At this instance, my mother was a single mother who had lost her beloved husband to cancer. She was in extreme difficulty, trying by every means for the family to eat and get accommodation in the Manfuha suburb. The cost of treating my father’s disease had left a big debt that nobody could pay at that moment.
The next day, I went to the mosque for evening prayers where I discussed my situation with some working people who had studied in America. Realizing my problem, they really became pitiful for me and advised me to begin a quest for scholarship. At first, I felt that this could be challenging taking in mind that I have never been abroad. However, I felt that I had a lot of time because examination results had just been released. I began reading various confessions of individuals who had won scholarships studying in America, their maneuvering strategies and how they are fairing on abroad. In this case, I got plenty of ideas that were much helpful for a “B” high school graduate who was struggling with self-esteem issues to stand out of others in the crowd because of his poor background.
I recall the day when I joined The International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law organization in our Manfuha suburb so that I could get involved in some volunteer activities to boost my resume. Doing what I loved, I ended up logging over 1,000 hours for organization’s community service program. In this regard, I became selected as one of youth leaders, and I went on to be our suburbs’ head coach for those youths enrolling in the program of Civic Education and Engagement. Since my team showed the best performances for three consecutive seasons, I was nominated for the King’s Leadership Award, which I won easily. In the evening of the same day, one of my friends I had shared with my situation called me for encouragement, as he had viewed news about me on our local television channel. Moreover, one of the former students from an American university called to tell me that by then, I had sufficient achievements and commitments that scholarship committees naturally love to see.
The following week, I began searching all kinds of scholarships from all common newspapers in our area. There was one advertisement that required high schools graduates with a “B” grade and above to apply for scholarships in the programs of Laws, which would be offered at the University of Chicago. I quickly arranged my essay and my resume together with several recommendation letters from the NGO I had worked for and the Royal Youth Leadership Committee to send before the deadline. I remained humbled every day with supplications (du’as) for six months until the day reached. I thanked God a lot, as my mother’s prayers and wishes had been answered. I was among the four students who had received full scholarships of $500,000 each from the Gilman’s Scholarship to begin their studies in Laws abroad. I am now in third year of my studies with no worries about if I am going to put off marriage, struggle to purchase a home and so forth, because of the would be student-loan debt. I will forever be thankful for my mother’s challenge and boldness, since she liberated me financially.