JustJobs.com’s scholarship program is proud to announce Jason Cade as one of the three finalists for its December deadline application. Vote for his essay by clicking the thumbs up button at the bottom of the page, and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.
Jason Cade’s Essay:
How did you choose your major? What obstacles have you had to overcome and what will it mean to you to graduate with this degree?
I am a 39 year old father of two beautiful children and the husband to a kind, supportive wife. Having my children made me decide to become a better person; to become a man. Until I had them, I never saw a need to get a college education. Now, I cannot believe I went so long without having one.
I am entering my seventh semester at UTEP and El Paso Community College. My major is Pre-Speech Language Pathology. I have known since I began my collegiate studies that my major needed to be in a field where science and mathematics are key due to the projection of the landscape of jobs in the future. However, it was my son who guided the direction I would go.
My son is smart, likeable, and excels in school. His speech production, however, is a challenge. Since he first made audible sounds as an infant, his conversations often included non-sensible words. We expected that when he was a toddler, but as he grew older it became a larger concern. Now that he is in the first grade, his syntax is still a challenge even though mathematics, spelling, science, physical education, and social relationships all come easily for him. When I work slowly with him through the proper pronunciation and tense of words, he still finds it to be an enormous challenge. Upon his evaluation with his school district, it seems that his speech problem is not an issue to anyone except us. Luckily, it has not been an impediment to his knowledge and learning.
While I understand that my son’s problems are minimal compared to those of others, I realize that he is a small representation of those that I will be assisting once I am working in my field of study. People who have endured strokes and cerebral vascular accidents will need assistance to re-learn how to communicate their basic needs and desires to those that they love. Children who have suffered hearing loss will learn how to make basic sounds and utilize sign language so that they can communicate with their parents, friends, and teachers. I will be in schools and nursing homes. I will spend my time with someone who has been in a motorcycle accident or a car wreck. I will greatly impact the quality of people’s lives who have suffered tremendous loss and need assistance in their time of need.
Being a full time student with a family is difficult on us financially, as my wife is also a student. There are times when studying is easy, but it’s massaging the bills that gets difficult. We take items out of our grocery cart while we’re in the checkout line. The cost of essentials continues to increase, making my job a little more difficult each time the gas prices rise. I awake in the dark to quietly study before my children arise. I read each chapter once, often twice. I visit my instructors, and I ask many questions. I make my GPA a priority, knowing that I cannot further my education without doing so. I yearn to show my children through my example the importance of earning a bachelor’s degree, especially in a math or science field.
I understand you are awarding scholarships, and I ask for your consideration. I greatly respect your financial contribution to the betterment of education, and I believe that I would be an appreciative steward of such generosity.
Most sincere thanks,
Jason Cade