Achieving My Dreams

Moses | future engineer

My name is Moses. I am looking forward to my college years and I find education to be an important aspect of life. I am certain that I will achieve what I want to achieve to get me where I want to go. I would like to thank the Texas Match the Promise Foundation for assisting me with my plans for the future and granting me the opportunity to save for college. Three reasons why I should be considered for this scholarship are: I want to follow my father's footsteps, my overall perseverance in life and my love of learning.

My father set a really good example of perseverance and success through education and he still does. When he was a young man, my father struggled. He had undiagnosed autism. He struggled his whole life to be understood and accepted by other people. Luckily, he was fascinated with calculus and engineering technology. When he made it to college, he was persistent and focused on his goal: to study engineering. He kept working to complete college and become an aero engineer, and that is exactly what he did. He is an accomplished engineer, meaning he is an inventor. He has several patents and is always working to create new ideas. I hope to follow in his footsteps and not let anything get in my way of achieving my dreams.

When I was 2 years old, I was diagnosed with autism. My prognosis was grim. The doctors and psychologists said I would have a difficult time functioning and learning normally. They said I may never be able to talk and I might have to be institutionalized by the time I started elementary. Today, I'm doing great in school, completely mainstreamed, on honor roll, and can communicate and interact sufficiently with other people. I still struggle socially, but I find joy in learning. It gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I've been very fortunate to have understanding and kind teachers to inspire learning my whole life.

When I first thought about what I want to do with my life, I was kind of anxious at the thought. At the time, I wasn't really all that interested in much, but as the years passed, I began to develop interests and realized just how important education is and how lucky I am to receive it. I've come to these 3 goals that I am going to achieve:

• I am going to study the culture and language of the world to help people build a better understanding of another.
• I am going to work towards improving Earth's condition and giving back to the planet that has supported mankind for centuries.
• I will be an inspiration for all people who are struggling with difficulty or obstacles in life. If I can do it, so can they.

Once again, I would like to thank the Texas Match the Promise Foundation for giving us a chance to earn this scholarship and aid my chances of success. My parents have to send three kids to college so I know anything helps. I am hoping that I will make my way and create a positive view of what being an African American with autistic looks like in society.