Procrastination is one of the most deadly traps of failure for students. We often wait until the last minute to complete our assignments. Some people, like me use the quote, “I work better when I am under pressure.” Most people use that cliché in place of the word procrastination in which what we are really doing. At other times we make promises to ourselves saying, “Oh I can work on this assignment Monday since it is not due until Friday.” Do we usually keep that promise? The answer is no.

I have robbed myself from opportunities of living to my fullest potential because I chose to procrastinate. Most of the choices I have made were my fault because I thought that I did not deserve the opportunity to live up to my fullest potential and at other times I would be so confused about choosing my major that I did not have the confidence to attempt to work harder.

Procrastination has caused me to fail in the arena of education. I lacked scholarship money and grants for college because I did not apply for them early. I did not join clubs in high school that would give me insight on what college would best fit me, and consequently my sloth has caused major declines in my life. However, I reached a turning point of my life when I received a 3.1 grade point average in high school.  Before I received an A in my Algebra II class of my senior year I failed most of my classes in my freshmen and sophomore year.

Unfortunately, that fall after graduation, I was not able to go to college due to financial issues and lack of scholarships. I was accepted into Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA; however, I did not have a sufficient amount of financial aid, grants, and scholarships to make the payment.

I remember crying for weeks because I desired to go to college but I did not take the necessary actions to prepare to pay for school. I learned my lesson last year. This year I began applying for scholarships before college began. Unfortunately I have not received any scholarship money for the spring semester of 2011 yet.

I am currently a student at Palm Beach Atlantic University located in West Palm Beach, Florida. Prior to attending Palm Beach Atlantic University I was enrolled in Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, VA, however, I knew that I needed the on campus experience. I left my comfort zone, applied to Palm Beach Atlantic University earlier this year, and was accepted as a transfer student with only nine transferable credits. The admissions team was very impressed with my high school grade point average and the goals I have planned for my future career as a Clinical Psychologist and Spanish minor.

I am so grateful for my past failures and mistakes because I realized that the responsible person inside of me was waiting to be revealed. As an only child, my mother and father were very protective of me and practically did everything for me. I realized that most of my failures and mistakes resulted from me being inexperienced and irresponsible due to my parents desire to protect me. When I reached adolescence I was able to realize that this was a serious problem.

I knew that moving to Florida would help me become a more responsible and independent woman. Most adults say that the spoiled children do not know how to take care of themselves when they become adults. I do not consider myself spoiled but I was fortunate to be loved by my family the way that I was. It was not until I reached the age eighteen when I knew exactly who I was and the potential that lied within me.

A college education will give me the opportunity to change America and even the world. I desire to design non-profit organizations to help the poor and low income communities. I would like to open schools for children in different countries who desire to receive a good education. I would like to counsel engaged and married couples, dysfunctional children/families, and the mentally ill. Since Spanish is the second language next to English, I would like to travel to North and South America and build non-profit organizations for children and adults so they won’t have to travel to America to work without knowing whether or not they can see their families again.

I cannot complete these goals unless I have the finances to do so. Veni, vidi, vici- I came, I saw, I conquered… in this case procrastination. Will you help me conquer the issues of this world so along with you I can help make it a better place?

This essay was submitted Kendra Russell for the December 2010 – HowToSaveMoney.com Scholarship. See and vote on your favorite essays here. From Kendra: “As a college student, I plan on using the Yakezie Scholarship money to further my education in the field of Psychology and Communications. In the future, after receiving my bachelors degree, I plan to open a non-profit organization for elementary and high school students who are in poverty. Later, I would like to build these non-profit organizations in foreign countries in hope to give the children a bright future in the world of education. Every child deserves the privilege to be valued for their talents and education. Overall, the Yakezie Scholarship money will prepare me to reach these goals to give back to the community.”