My name is Nicholas Garcia and I currently live in Wayne, NJ. I have just finished my second year of college, and so far I have had success. I am studying to be an accountant in hopes of one day achieving the coveted status of CPA. This is no easy task as it requires me to take an additional twenty-two credits in order to sit for the exam. This is where the Kid’s Chance Scholarship will truly make all the difference. It is necessary for me to seek extra schooling in order to meet my requirements to become a certified public accountant. This means that from the start I have to incur a greater debt than the average college student seeking a degree at my institution.

My mother's disability cannot be attributed to one specific incident. She was a commission sales associate for her entire career. As she got older her knees developed arthritis and standing up on a sales floor for 8 hours a day was no longer an option. Her most recent position was for 10 years selling appliances for a well-known company. Even though she had a doctor's note stating that she needed to sit down periodically, her employer refused to accommodate her. She was told by her employer to just quit. My mother is not a quitter, so she stuck it out until the pain was unbearable.

The hardest thing for me about her disability is to see her in constant pain. Seeing my mother work through her disability in spite of all the hardships associated with it, has instilled in me a strong work ethic. Despite having limited financial capabilities she has still pushed me to further my education.

I want to thank Kids’ Chance of New Jersey for this scholarship. I am honored that I was chosen and will do my best to make everyone proud. This scholarship will remove some of the burden in my mother’s mind, and allow me to pursue a higher education, which will ultimately define me as a person and as a professional.