2009 NJCPA College Scholarship Recipient

I was raised by my father. I am the middle child of three daughters. My dad has been a driver at UPS since before I was born. My dad worked long hours and was tired on the weekends but he never let it stop him from being the coach for any sports my sisters and I wanted to play or staying up with us at night if we were sick. Growing up, my dad never let on that money was tight. Now as an adult, I think to myself, how the heck did he pull that off? He worked such long hours, raised three children alone and never let us feel that we were a burden nor did he hint when times were tough. I can only imagine how much he worried each and every day. I could go on and on about how great my father is and what a great life he gave my sisters and me, but the bottom line is that he taught me every day that the sky is the limit. He also taught me that in order to get where I wanted to be, I needed a great education.

As I got older, I worried about how I was going to afford college but my dad would not let me settle for going to a college I could afford instead of the college I wanted, no matter what the cost. He cosigned all my loans and we went through the whole process together. Even though I have to write a check each month for a good chunk of change for my college education, I wouldn't go back and change a thing. My college education got me to where I am today. I donate to the NJCPA each year because it may not seem like much, but to someone it can mean the world. I believe every individual with drive and ambition deserves the chance to soar towards the sky and only stop when they want to, not because they can't afford it.