My Statement

When I first sat down to write this statement letter I had hundreds of ideas. I am not writing this letter to be a sob story of my life and the wrong choices I have made, but a statement of growth and encouragement for my future. I am a 33yr old male of mixed race (Mexican and African American). In my family education was important, my grandmother only has a 12th grade education and she had it a lot harder than me coming from Chihuahua, Mexico to the United States, so they tried to stress the importance of an education. It has taken me 12 years to realize that I need a college education, an education that seems to be slowly slipping out of my grasp because of my inability to pay for school.

I am currently a student at Oakton Community College; I started with my first class last summer to see what college life is or if I could make it in school setting after all these years. I took Intro to Criminal justice, I was told to take easier class to work my way up to harder classes. I don't want easy, easy would have been 12 yrs ago when I should have gone to college. I passed the class with an "A" grade, happy I was but not satisfied with just passing this class. I still need to see if I could work a full time job and go to school full time.

Fall classes were more difficult than I thought with my success from the season, I passed with "B" and 2 "C". This was upsetting to me, for the first time I cared about a grade I received. Passing is not good enough, I need to pass with good grades (I strive to achieve my goals)!

My career goal is Law enforcement, Police Officer (State or Local), Forensic Scientist, Criminologist or Government Enforcement. Obtaining a degree in my chosen profession would allow me to open doors. The disadvantages that I have faced without a college degree has led me to many obstacles in my life. The multitude of financial obligations that I face from day to day is sometimes overwhelming. With my current employment, the future looks no better.

Attending Oakton is allowing me to reach my career goals and to pursue my dreams. Unfortunately my many attempts to obtain financial aid have failed. For my first classes and books, I borrowed the money from friends and family and anyone who believed in me enough to help me fulfill my dream of an education. Out of necessity I am searching for other means of financial assistance,