The Yes2Me Scholarship made my dreams come true.

When I approached WorkBC with a proposal for education, my hopes weren’t high. I never in my life, even in high school, thought I’d have a chance at more than a minimum wage job I’d hate. As the first out of my siblings to graduate, I had a little hope, but watching my parents hop from job to job being mistreated at work was the norm. I felt there was no point to anything. You work to eat, eat to live, and live to work.

WorkBC started helping me, encouraging me. Although they have worked hard to make my dreams come true, they could not fund my seat deposit of around $1000.

“I can’t come up with that kind of money, I’m struggling as is,” I told my worker.

“Try for scholarships,” was her advice. My dreams seemed out of reach again. I cried on my way back home, thinking about how much work I’d put into trying to get into this course. The sleepless nights filling out scholarship applications, the funding applications to various organizations. and the 3 months I’d spent perfecting my application to the college. I had already applied for every scholarship I could find, but really, none had seemed that interested.

I went to go see my volunteer overseer, and she sat me down and gave me a piece of paper. “You should apply, you never know,” she stated with a smile.

I was a little angry but read it over anyway. ‘Yes2Me scholarship,’ I read at the top. Like anyone cares if I go to school. I was already getting flak from some of the organizations; they felt I wouldn’t be able to go through with the course. If only they knew. if only they cared to know the face behind the paperwork or the effort it takes to swallow the stress. Increased medication doses because of stress-related increases in symptoms, and the sleepless nights waiting for results. Or how much art meant to me in the first place.

In high school, I wasn’t diagnosed but still had major symptoms, and my only outlet was art. Creating it let out everything I was feeling, and getting lost for hours, days, or weeks into a piece relieved everything and helped me cope. If only they knew the passion, the fire, controlled only through a pen or pencil.

When I was accepted for the Yes2Me scholarship, I don’t think they knew everything about the situation…or what it would mean to me. But because of it, I can now show the world what the fire that sets people’s hearts ablaze looks like.

 As well as those pushing the darkness of doubt and fear, there are those pushing the light. Those who shine and encourage. “Just keep pushing for it. Just keep going.” If heaven is for real, I think it’s spilling over, because there are angels here, too.

Thank you BCSS. You helped give me hope for a better future.

Sonia Hawkins