Every year the Distant Education and Training Council based in Washington, D.C. chooses a small group of exceptional students as outstanding based on academic records and the level and quality of their contributions to society and their chosen professions. I was aware my name had been submitted last year by my former high school but I never dreamed I would be selected and didn't give it a second thought until Tuesday when I recieved a package in the mail congratulating me on being selected as an outstanding student, one out of only thirty-seven chosen. There are over two million distant education students from member high school and college programs across the nation submitted. So it was an amazing thing to hear I had been selected. What I found even more fascinating was the fact that I am the only visually impaired student in the book I recieved with pictures and information about the winners. I hope this will inspire other young people who are pursuing an education and I intend to use this honor to hopefully encourage others to pursue their dreams.
As I worked my way through high school my only goal was to graduate. I would be the first person in my immediate family to do so and I wanted to finish with a high GPA. For my elective courses I focused on things that would be beneficial to me as I pursued my career goals, not on courses that would provide me with a faster track to graduation. I wanted to make something of myself, do something positive with my life and I knew that getting a good education would enable me to do that.
When it comes to my future I have always been a very driven person. I never lose sight of my goals, of what and who I want to be. I try to keep God first, to prioritize my time and to think carefully about the decisions I make. I try to weigh the pros and cons of my actions, to strategize and take one step at a time and most of all I depend on God to guide my footsteps. If I don't feel led to do something I usually don't do it.
Notice I said "usually." Last time I checked I am human and as humans we all falter at some point. We all have things we could improve on, things we wish we'd done differently. But making mistakes is part of the learning process and it's what you do with what you've learned from those mistakes that can make the difference.
January 14, 2010, 4:05 p.m.
I have been watching coverage of the massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devistated the city of Port-au-Prince in Haiti two days ago. The amount of damage and loss of life is unbelievable. A disaster like this would be heartbreaking to see happen to any nation, but especially for a country as impoverished as Haiti where they have experienced so much hardship already. I have been praying frequently for those who have lost loved ones and who are suffering, some of them still trapped beneath mounds of rubble.
According to the news this is the worst earthquake to hit Haiti in recorded history and the death toll is already in the thousands. There's no telling how long it will take them to recover from this.