One way ticket in hand, I boarded the second flight of my life at New York’s JFK Airport. As we touched down in Los Angeles and I shuffled my way to the shuttle, I became the first person in my family to attend college. Sitting in traffic on the freeway, reality set in, I was 2,500 miles away from home and had no idea how to navigate the next four years. What I lacked, at the time, in knowledge I made up for in hard work.
Growing up, my mother was disabled due to epilepsy, leaving my father to be the sole provider for our family of four. This meant that he worked two, and sometimes, three jobs at a time to make ends meet. From a young age this instilled in me the value of hard work. I took this value and sought out every opportunity to help me succeed; from meeting with professors, tutors, the various administrative offices on campus, I began forging my own path. Not only did this perseverance help me to excel academically, it also helped me gain my first job, a career that I still maintain to this day.
As I rolled the chair forward and put the headset on. It’s for books and your meal plan. I repeated over and over in my head. It did little to calm my nerves, but it put my challenge into perspective. I had a goal, and I had a manner to achieve it, now all I had to do was push forward. What I didn’t realize as I stared at the “Smile and Dial” poster, was that I was laying the foundation for my future career, that I was paving a path that would lead me to where I am today. That day in the dorm basement call center I began my professional career in helping others; that day I became a fundraiser.
Every night I watched as the scholarship fund rose. Call after call, I gained confidence that I once lacked. What started off as a work-study opportunity became a job that I was legitimately passionate about, a job that allowed me to help others. My father has been a volunteer firefighter and ambulance driver since before I was born. The smell of fire from his bunker gear in the hallway and the loud screech of the scanner radio in the living room was always a constant reminder of my father’s dedication to others. It is a value that has continued to inspire me. I spent my summers helping build homes with Habitat For Humanity, and every fall for seven years, I walked for twelve hours straight to raise money for Relay for Life. With every step, swing of the hammer, and stroke of a paintbrush, I developed a deep passion for helping others. Calling for scholarships allowed me to tell my story and give back to students just like me.
On May 11, 2012, as I walked across the stage on my campus’ football field and became the first person in my family to earn a college degree, I knew what I wanted to do and how I was going to get there. From the calling shifts, to studying abroad, to Model United Nations, every decision I made and opportunity I sought was fueled by my desire to help others and my hard work ethic. I knew that I would be dedicating my life to helping those in need. For the last six years I have helped raise over 60 million dollars for scholarship, and in the process created endowed scholarships for first generation students, LGBTQ, and minority students; helping to make college possible for countless students from communities and backgrounds like my own.
I want to continue making a difference for others. That is what has always drawn me to the law, being able to assist those in need. I’m ready for this next step and gladly accept this new challenge. I know that my determination, hard work ethic, and desire to help others will allow me excel at Fordham Law School. At Fordham I will have the opportunity to study with some of the nation’s leading legal scholars and join a community that shares my same passion for public service. I whole-heartedly believe that Fordham Law will prepare me to enter the legal world and allow me support and impact the lives of others.
If you had told the eighteen-year-old clutching his one-way ticket at JFK that he would be changing lives, he never would have believed you. I’m now ready for my next challenge.
