The single biggest factor in helping me escape poverty, drug addiction and homelessness was not my ability to achieve sobriety. It was education and the doors it opened as a result. One of the biggest issues I faced as an addict experiencing homelessness was my inability to extricate myself from the poverty that accompanies this situation. This poverty was a direct result of my inability to obtain employment that compensated me enough to be able to afford housing and the ancillary accouterments needed to continue with full-time employment; food, utility payments, clothing, transportation, etc. Despondent and hopeless, I turned to drugs to escape the daily misery that accompanies this life.
Education did two primary things to correct this: 1. It provided me with complex - and desirable - skill sets that increased my worth in the business community. 2. Just as importantly, it forced me to remain sober long enough to complete the tasks associated with obtaining an education. The more I excelled in school, the more I wanted to excel and the less time I had for drug use.
After leaving college, I was hired at a wage that finally sustained a modest middle-class lifestyle. Having the ability to finally be able to pay rent and bills, purchase food, and still have a few dollars left at the end of each month was more motivating to sobriety and a healthy, productive lifestyle than any other thing I had done, tried or experienced, combined.
This is not to say it was without difficulty. The road to a Master's Degree, especially for someone who had abandoned school in the 8th grade, was challenging, indeed. But the payoff has been life-changing and incredible. It has also allowed me to overcome barriers that traditionally doom a person to a life of abject poverty, homelessness and substance abuse. If we are hoping to end homelessness, we must give individuals the tools to make their own transition from street to housing. One of the biggest hammers in the box is education.
Scholarships Available for Homeless or Formerly Homeless Students from the Horatio Alger Association and Give US Your Poor
Give US Your Poor is proud to partner with the Horatio Alger Association in offering college scholarships to homeless and at-risk students. The Horatio Alger Association provides approximately 1,000 scholarships each year to eligible students who have overcome adversity in their lives. Deadline for submission is October 30, 2010.
For the first time this year, in partnership with Give US Your Poor, the Association is reaching out directly to students who have experienced homelessness to invite them to apply for their scholarship programs.
The Horatio Alger Association provides scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $20,000. National scholarships are awarded at $20,000. Scholarships in each state are also awarded at various amounts.
Applications for Fall 2011 may be accessed online at https://www.horatioalger.org/scholarships from August 1 until October 30, 2010.
We know that a quality education is one way to prevent and to end the cycle of homelessness, as it can help with social networks, career development and life skills. By offering scholarships to students who have experienced homelessness, we hope to play a key role in empowering students to pursue their dreams and to create a fulfilling life. We are immensely grateful to the Horatio Alger Association and proud to partner with them in assisting hard-working, homeless high school students to attend college and follow their dreams.
Who is eligible
To be eligible you must meet the following criteria:
Click here to access the Horatio Alger Association website online application and click on the Apply Now button in the photo.
The Horatio Alger Association provides scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $20,000. National scholarships are awarded at $20,000. Scholarships in each state are also awarded at various amounts.
Applications for Fall 2011 may be accessed online at https://www.horatioalger.org/scholarships from August 1 until October 30, 2010.
We know that a quality education is one way to prevent and to end the cycle of homelessness, as it can help with social networks, career development and life skills. By offering scholarships to students who have experienced homelessness, we hope to play a key role in empowering students to pursue their dreams and to create a fulfilling life. We are immensely grateful to the Horatio Alger Association and proud to partner with them in assisting hard-working, homeless high school students to attend college and follow their dreams.
Who is eligible
To be eligible you must meet the following criteria:
- enrollment full time as a high school senior, progressing normally toward graduation in the Spring/Summer 2010, with plans to enter college no later than the fall following graduation;
- a strong commitment to pursuing and completing a bachelor's degree at an accredited institution located in the United States (students may start their studies at a two-year institution and then transfer to a four-year institution. Idaho, Louisiana, and Montana state scholarship recipients must pursue and complete a degree at specific colleges and universities. Please see the individual program description for those requirements);
- critical financial need ($50,000 or less adjusted gross income per family is preferred, if higher explanation must be provided);
- involvement in co-curricular and community activities;
- demonstrated integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity
- a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0; and
- United States Citizenship.
Click here to access the Horatio Alger Association website online application and click on the Apply Now button in the photo.
