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A portion of Brad's winning essay:
I became the person that I am today through my life experiences. I grew up in a very small town called Brooks, Maine. My education took place at a very small high school where there were only ninety nine students who graduated in my high school class. While in school, I was involved in many athletic teams and maintained impressive grades. When I graduated from high school, I was a young man who was not quite sure what he wanted to do with his life. There was one thing I did know… no matter what direction my life would turn, a college degree was necessary in order to move forward in this world. When I chose to go to college, I knew that I was opening a new chapter in my life. I was finally going to
be out on my own. I was ready for the world. In 1999, I graduated from high school and began my journey into the next phase of my life. I applied to and was accepted at the University of Maine at Orono. I packed my bags and began the voyage. I was eighteen years old and ready to face the world. If only I had known what was in store for me. I attended the University of Maine at Orono and began working towards a degree in kinesiology and physical education. After pondering my future, I chose to focus in these areas with the plan of becoming an athletic trainer. I had completed more than half of the requirements toward earning my bachelors degree when the United States fell victim to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. After witnessing the devastation and destruction in both New York City and Washington, D.C., I began thinking about my life and what I should do. I was faced with a decision. Little did I know that I was about to make a decision which would influence my actions for the rest of my life. I was torn between staying in school and completing my degree or stepping up and defending our country by joining a branch of the United States military. I decided that my country needed me and made the choice to leave school and join the military. I had determined that my purpose in life, at that moment, was to support the United States in whatever way I could.When I joined the military, it was done with the intention of returning to school and completing my educational goals. After examining the various options and military entities, I enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 2003. When I enlisted, I had the intention of returning to school when the time was right. I made sure to do what was necessary in order to qualify for the benefits of the Montgomery G. I. Bill when the time came. The Montgomery G.I. Bill provides money for college for members of the military who are on active duty. The purpose of the Bill is to give members of the military the ability to pay for school after they have completed three years of military service. While in the Coast Guard, I worked hard and stayed focused on my goals, including returning to college and earning my bachelors degree. For the last four years, I have been employed by the United States Coast Guard as an Aviation Survival Technician, which is also known as a Helicopter Rescue Swimmer. My job is very demanding and requires me to be ready, willing an able to rescue those who are in distress, at all hours of the day and night and at a moment’s notice. The work of a Helicopter Rescue Swimmer is both a very rewarding and a very challenging path to take. Being in the position that I am, I am able to give back to the community and to protect those who cannot protect themselves. The work is also very challenging in that it demands that I am both physically and emotionally ready to go at a moments notice. Hence the Rescue Swimmer Motto of “So others may live.” When I made the decision to enlist in the United States Coast Guard, I knew that this was the job for me. The Coast Guard recruiter cautioned that being a Helicopter Rescue Swimmer was one of the most challenging jobs the Coast Guard had to offer. The fact that it was so challenging appealed to me. I am the kind of person that likes to take on challenges, and overcome them. It is easy for me to relate this job to the other challenges I faced while tryifng to go back to school. I knew that it was not going to be easy to work full time and be enrolled as a full time student at Keiser University. I knew that there would be many obstacles to work through in order to complete my degree, but I also knew that as long as I had the motivation and the commitment to follow through, I would make it work. As long as I was willing to put in the time and effort, I knew I would be able to reach all of my goals and earn my bachelors degree. With the help of other coworkers, I was able to change my work schedule so that I would be able to put the time and effort into both my job at the Coast Guard Air Station and my classes at Keiser University. I was going to do whatever it took to make sure that I would reach my goals and earn my degree. I learned the lesson that motivation and commitment would enable me to achieve my goals while participating in the biggest search and rescue operation the United States Coast Guard had ever been involved with. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, I was called to duty. It was time for me to use the skills and information that I received during training, to help save peoples lives. Mothers trusted me and my skills as a Helicopter Rescue Swimmer to ensure the safety of their children as I evacuated them from second story rooftops. All of the time I had put into my work finally paid off. I was able to see the faces of families who were scared, sick and suffering. I was also able to see the relief in their eyes as they were evacuated from what used to be their homes. I was able to feel like I actually made a difference in the lives of many people. If I ever had doubts about the decision to withdraw from college and join the military, they were immediately eliminated. I knew that joining the military had been the right choice for me. I took this experience of having hard work pay off and decided that it was time for me to begin working towards my goal of receiving a Bachelors degree. While continuing to work, I enrolled at Keiser University as a full time student. I chose to attend Keiser University based on the fact that the way it was set up and the flexible schedule would allow me to attend school and still fulfill my obligations as an active duty member of the military. At the time of enrollment, I began to use the benefits of the Montgomery G.I. Bill. Since this was not enough to pay for my tuition at Keiser University, I also began using a program the Coast Guard offered called Tuition Assistance. Unfortunately, even using both of these programs, I still had to pay additional educational and tuition expenses out of pocket. Considering how motivated I was to finish my college degree, I did not mind having to pay out of pocket for the additional expenses. Regrettably, the cost of attendance at Keiser University was not contemplated when the Montgomery G.I. Bill and Tuition Assistance programs were developed. I was unable to pay for my tuition out of pocket and was forced to withdraw from classes this summer. After seeing the many things the world has to offer, and being involved with many law enforcement operations with the Coast Guard, I made the decision to pursue a degree in criminal justice. Although I did not know whether I would stay in the military or follow another dream of becoming involved in law enforcement, I knew that obtaining a college degree in criminal justice would open the doors to my future. This motivation was demonstrated in each and every class I took. In fact, I was able to earn and maintain a 4.0 grade point average over two semesters while continuing to work full time. In fact some of my professors even commented on my demonstrated leadership in the chat sessions for my classes. I was very disappointed that after all of my hard work and efforts, I was forced to withdraw from my courses at Keiser University and would not be able to obtain my degree in criminal justice from Keiser. Unfortunately, I was unable to pay for the courses and saw no other way to continue attending Keiser. If I am awarded this scholarship, I would be able to once again, embark on both my personal and professional goals. If I earn a degree from Keiser University, many doors to my future would be opened. With the help of this scholarship, my educational goals could be moved from being a dream to becoming a reality and I would finally finish the journey I began in 1999.
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