Just like every other day, I got depressed at the thought of going to class. I felt incapable and the thought that i am not good in anything made me feel humiliated. Yet, another essay was been given back to us and I did very bad but this time around, I decided to let down my guard and approach my professor. She was so happy that I came to her for help, after the discussion with her she told me a line of advice that stuck with me till this day, " Geraldine you have in you, you just need to sit up, concentrate and work hard". That word cut through me like a sword, I entered the rest room and cried because even though i doubted my capabilities, someone out there saw through me and believed that i could make it. Power of a spoken word and I live by it till this day.
Growing up in a third world country in west Africa was quite a gruesome experience, we had little or no basic amenities needed for man sustenance, unequipped health sectors, schools, bad roads, and unhygienic water which affected the health of the people in my country. However,my parents made sure we had the best even though they had little or nothing. my mother taught us the need of not giving up on your dreams and the importance of hard work.
No doubt my biggest hardship was loosing my sister. Like most children I did not know what i wanted to be when I grow up till my sister was diagnosed with cancer. Watching her through advanced stages of cancer, severe pains and torture each day was very hard. As the first child in my family, I took a break from school in order to help her out daily because she could not do anything rather than lie down in bed all day. We had so many long nights that we will look after her and comfort her when the pain became unbearable. To say the least, due to the poor heath facilities in my country, the doctors could not detect that she was having an early sign of cancer after incessant medical checkups and laboratory test. I sat by her all day and nights and those moments of my life was priceless. As young as she was, she still saw some realms of hope and happiness and spoke with so much courage. On days the pain was light, she will tell me about her dream of becoming a doctor or a heath researcher in order to help cure her disease. During the following days, she was flown to the united states and that was when we received the news that she had cancer and it has already metastasize so therefore she will be slipping away soon. I immediately broke down in tears, we grew so close like never before that the thought of her leaving this world was difficult. After her death, it dawned on me that i want to keep my sisters dream alive by becoming a nurse. My experience taught me how to be compassionate and my sister taught me how to be courageous, fierce and hold on to your dreams no matter the circumstance.
After her death, I came down to the united states to stay with my father. Immediately, I enrolled in a school to get a license as a certified nurse aide. With my license, i got a job at a nursing home, where I help seniors in their activities of daily living like bathing , feeding etc. While in the nursing home, I had a great opportunity to see and get a firsthand experience of what it takes to be a nurse. I felt so ecstatic each time i see the smiles that lit on the faces of my clients after giving them care. It also helped me to improve in skills like multitasking, working as a team, proper time management, tactfulness and interpersonal skills.
Today i am more inspired to do well and succeed. I am in a four year college pursuing my dreams of becoming a nurse. Though there are going to be obstacles and difficulties, I am willing to fight through it and achieve not just my dreams but that of my sister. I look for perfection and simplicity in everything I do and also competent.
A scholarship will help me move closer towards achieving my dreams. It will help me work hard in my studies knowing that there are people who are willing to help me achieve my goals. It will also help me work fewer hours and dedicate more time to studying and engage in hospital internships in order to gain more skills in the medical field. I strongly believe I deserve this scholarship because I am persistent and confident in my abilities to study hard and accomplish my goals.
This is a very good start to your essay! However, I really wanted more details about your heritage. Where in Nigeria do you live? What kind of town/city is it? Do you speak a different language? What is important to your family and community? Who are the kinds of people you interact with, or value? Is religion a big part of your life? In what ways? You have to describe the world you grew up in to me so that I can better see how it has shaped you.
eddies [Contributor]
25 / 1,208 
476 it is a strong believebelief that one gives birth so that they(make sure that the word you have replaced here doesn't have any faulty reference) will make them proud and look after them properly when they grow old.
It is disrespectful to look in to an elders' eyes when they are talking to you, (stop here) you have to bow your head to show respect.
