Harris Wins Spring 2024 Editor World Scholarship

Nikita Harris, a student in the United States, is the winner of the Spring 2024 Editor World First-Generation Student Scholarship. As part of the submission, applicants were asked to write an essay about what motivates them to complete their education.

Scholarship Essay Response:

I'm motivated by the drive to end generations of poverty in my family's lineage by obtaining a bachelor's degree. I grew up in a low-income household and faced much adversity as a child. Although I was a well-rounded student, I chose to go to work rather than attend college right after high school. While working, I went from dead-end job to dead-end job, making minimum wage for years. I quickly learned the value of having a degree.

Having a bachelor's degree opens doors to careers that seem out of reach without it. Having a bachelor's degree also affords one the option to negotiate better pay. I became determined to secure a job that would be my career by obtaining a bachelor's degree. First, I tested myself academically by setting the goal of obtaining a simple certificate in commercial music. Once I obtained the certificate I decided to pursue an associate's degree.

Through reverse transfer of credits, I proved to myself that I could stay in school and get a degree, as I acquired my Associate's degree in the Spring of 2023. I am now in my final year as a strategic communications major at the University of Houston. I have managed to make the Dean's list twice while attending college and have maintained a good academic standing even though I'm considered a non-traditional student.

Attending college full-time requires many sacrifices for a working student. I work multiple jobs and internships to pay my living expenses and it's very difficult to do so with inflation in the current economy. I'm determined to get a degree and improve the welfare of myself and my family members, regardless of the current hardships in the world. I would be the first in my family to get a degree after many failed attempts by my parents, and forefathers.