Personal Statement Wright Scholarship – Marisa Bausone
Ever since I was little, I’ve confidently declared that I wanted to be a scientist. Come eighth grade, when my parents had to borrow money from me, I realized that college probably wasn’t in the cards for me unless I made it happen myself. See, when I was in middle school, my dad, the primary provider for our family of five, was laid off due to the company’s bankruptcy. He held a highly specialized laboratory position for many years, and though he was exceptionally good at his job, his skill just wasn’t in high demand. Neither of my parents had even gone to college. Eleven-year-old me had to watch as we struggled financially, my mom picked up extra jobs and my dad searched high and low for a new job while trying to go back to school for a degree. We hit some hard times, but I had always wanted to go to college. I was enrolled in chemistry at the time and had developed a passion for the subject. My teacher was a retired chemical engineer and, noting my talent, suggested that I look into any sort of engineering.…show more content… After two or three, I settled into chemical engineering as my niche. I continued to work hard all through high school, both academically and literally, working odd jobs and finally getting a “real” job as soon as I got my license. I saved as much as I could and graduated at the top of my high school class. And once I got my acceptance letter to VCU, I learned I had just enough scholarships and extended family aid to facilitate going to school as long as I worked throughout the year. I was
