In my last blog post, I talked about my upcoming speech, (and how nervous I was, because it was my first speech ever) that I was giving at an event for high school students receiving the Born with Purpose Scholarship, a scholarship outside of Cabrini that I also received last year. Well, here's how it went!
I didn't stick to my speech and there were a lot of malfunctions that day, but it was a growing experience and something that I will always be grateful for. Here is the video of me giving the speech (from Born with Purpose's Facebook page):
And here is what I wrote, even though I didn't really stick to it:
Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen,
My name is Ceonna Morris and last year I sat in your seats, eager and nervous for the college experience ahead of me. I am here today to tell you how grateful I am to be a prior recipient of a Born with Purpose scholarship and how excited I am for you guys.
Like most of you, I knew I wanted to be something, the first three letters of my name is C.E.O, I am meant to be great, but how do I achieve this greatness? I remember being 14-15 and laying in bed wondering if I could ever grasp what I wanted in life without having the right tools. How would I fund my path to greatness, would my financial barrier hold me back? That question wasn’t answered until senior year of high school. The talk of scholarship and college funding is something we’re introduced to in middle school, but it becomes real in 12th grade when you’re staring at a college’s tuition statement. It didn’t matter how much I loved the campus, the faculty, or anything they offered; neither myself nor my family didn’t have the money.
I knew that if I wanted to go to college, I would need as many scholarships as I could get. I applied to scholarship after scholarship, hoping that I would be awarded a gateway to a higher education. Thankfully, my hopes were answered. I have a full ride at my top college, Cabrini University.
Now that one half of my fight was over, now I needed tools. You know, the things that you could not function in a college without: lots of coffee, strong fingers to type your paper that’s due in five minutes, but most of all, a laptop. I was worried about how much a computer would cost, where to get it from and how many hours of overtime I would need to put in so that I could afford it, plus my regular dorm supplies … and let me tell all of you that I didn’t even have to do all of that. One day, while rushing to work, I saw an email pop up in my email congratulating me: I had won a free laptop from the Born with Purpose Scholarship! I had to stop and wipe the tears from my eyes. I was so thankful and happy, everything was falling into place.
When I came to the reception to receive my laptop, everyone was warm and friendly, the ceremony was so personal that winning the computer meant more to me. Along with the warm reception, every 2-3 months I get a check-in email, asking about my progress in college. I’ve enjoyed the support and positivity that that has been given to me, I hope you have the same experience. Thank you.