December 28, 2019

Work Over Winter Break?

Opportunities to succeed takes more effort than you think. Success requires you to consistently prioritize your entire life, and overall plan for your future.

“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe” - Eric Thomas

With school work as your number one priority as a student, multiple students feel they don't have time to fit other activities into their schedule. I had to prioritize my entire school year by completing scholarships for school as well as study abroad opportunities over the entirety of winter break.

Yes, even winter break!

I plan to live for many more holidays but opportunities for funding in higher education are limited. We have two, almost three weeks of winter break. If I want to achieve certain goals like having college paid for as well as other opportunities, I must be ready to work!

I enjoy time with my family on New Year's and Christmas Day but 16 out of the 21 days of break I’m preparing for my future! The early bird catches the worm and I don’t want to be a minute late. After the break, I have less time on my hands due to the beginning of a new semester. I encourage students to relax on scholarships when the semester begins. Remember, school is still our number one priority and we can not get side tracked.

That doesn’t mean we need to give up on working on scholarships altogether, weekends are still available. Yup, you may have to give up some of your partying or relaxation on the weekends to apply and prepare for future opportunities. Applying and receiving scholarships requires sacrifice and dedication. Whether you want to complete scholarships or just organize your life, you’ll need to cut some of the extra activities out of your regimen.

Having a well balanced routine is important! But often times, students forget to utilize valuable time throughout the semester. Ultimately, we need to position ourselves to take advantage of the funding, resources, and opportunities available to us.

Check out Justin's blog about Study Abroad here! 

About Justin:

Justin B. is a public relations and African American/African studies student at Western Michigan University as well as an TNFC Ambassador. Justin’s mission is to work on economic development and empowerment starting abroad and eventually in African American communities. Campus based support has been tremendous in his journey in foster care as a great resource that has aided him while interning in Washington D.C. and multiple study abroad programs. Part of Justin’s mission to help other foster youth become aware of their strengths in order to solve the issues that plague their communities. Justin believes that access and poverty alleviation will result in lowering the number of youth in foster care. Ultimately, his journey in foster care has fueled him to serve underrepresented populations and become of The New Foster Care.  Justin is a strategic leader who attacks the core of issues and works to challenge oppressive forces derailing underprivileged communities.