New York

Entering my senior year of high school my parents informed me they had filed for a divorce. Their decision had come completely unexpected; it left me feeling incredibly shocked. But there was little time to, I quickly had to take the responsibility of being the mediator between my two parents who would not speak to each other. I also learned I would bear the responsibility of paying my way through college. It was then I realized I had to become more independent, as my whole life I had relied on two people who were now unreliable. I didn't have time to learn how to be mature, and responsible, I was thrust into those roles. I knew I wanted to go to college, particularly DePauw, but neither I nor my parents had enough money to pay for it. Driven to succeed by the failure of my parents, I did everything in my ability to receive the Braden Scholarship, which provides full tuition exclusively to DePauw. With hard work and perseverance I earned that scholarship and the chance to go to a great college. The experience also impacted my ability to deal with change and become flexible to adjust to those changes.