Abstract:
If there was a theme song for my life it would center on blessings and optimism. As a child, there were many road blocks placed in my way, but through the support and encouragement of educators and family I was able to surpass them. Every trial and tribulation in my path was merely a learning curve. In the past few months I have been given the opportunity to continue my education at Manchester College to continue to grow personally and educationally. My goal is to use what knowledge I have obtained through my trials and tribulations to show today's youth that there is always a chance to rise above and beat the odds.
It's 4:48 in the morning of March 23, 1993, at Wabash County Hospital. Paige Nicole Eltzroth was just born via c-section to her mother Stacy Eltzroth. It all started out normal enough, a baby girl is born to her mother in her hometown hospital, but normal definitely was not in my future. A week later we were finally released. My mother fussed over me for hours as well my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents daunting. I was a healthy little girl everything my mother had ever wanted.
Although I don't remember the first two years of my life, my cousin, Tiffany, who I more commonly refer to as my big sister rather than cousin, tells me of her recounts, stories of how I would bite and cry and always have a book in my hand ready to learn. But two was a big year for me other than the normal toddler activities. It was the year that my mother's schizophrenia appeared and the year I would go to live with my grandparents along with my mother. For the next few years I don't have any recounts of anything besides sitting on my grandpa's lap, the best place in the world, and him reading me the newspaper. My grandfather would come to mean more to me in my life than any single individual ever could. He was my best friend and my hero.
The years flew by and there was no going to grandparents' house for me because I was there every day. I remember in first grade typing out spelling words on the computer for my grandpa and him giving me endless spelling quizzes. My grandpa was a huge advocate for learning and would always buy educational books for me. He always stressed the importance of education to me and how much it meant to him to see me succeed. My aunt, who was going through college at the time, also lived in the house and would read to me every night before bed.
As the beginning of second grade approached I was given the biggest trial of my life. My mother had gone through a major psychotic break and started going through treatments. As a child, I didn't know what was going on or how to handle it. That event would change my life forever.
In the fourth grade, I was thrown for another loop when my father, who I saw every other weekend and hadn't met until I was nearly four, informed me he was going to be getting married. His wife, Colleen, came with four children, Daniel, Amber, Amanda, and Michael. With my mother's condition I immediately fell in love with the normal family I had never had before and changed my last name to Evans. We synchronized perfectly in every aspect I had ever heard a family should. Amber would end up being the one I was closest to and help me grow into the person I am today.
If there were two people I attribute my successes to in life it would be Tiffany and Amber. They are the two women I look up to the most and have helped me see that in every negative aspect there is always a positive that there is always a rainbow at the end of the storm. They taught me endless life lessons. Whether it is how to ride a bike or do long division with sidewalk chalk. Their loving and caring support has given me the inspiration to show that support to others.
Throughout the rest of my K-12 experience, I didn't mention a single word of my mother's condition to anyone. No one knew of her mental condition. I would never invite friends over to my house for fear of how she would respond, so I found my safe haven in the school system. I wanted nothing more than to make my family proud of me. I studied hard in school and actually found enjoyment in taking notes and reading text books. Nothing was more exciting to me than solving a problem. That moment when something finally clicked was magical.
Northfield High School can be found in the middle of a cornfield or in my heart. It was my home for six years and one of the greatest places I have ever been. I was often times found in the Special Education room helping, the library studying, or the Chemistry room working on some weird experiment I had found in one of my teacher's old lab books. I had many amazing teachers throughout my time at Northfield, but a couple stand out in my mind more than all the rest.
Mr. Votaw was my high school chemistry teacher and my mentor. He connected to his students in ways I have never seen any other teacher. He related to us and showed us how important Chemistry was and how it related to real life. The principal of the high school once told him that he admired him for how beloved he was by his students and the connection that he had to us. Mr. Votaw sparked my love for Chemistry. A love so great I want to spend the rest of my life igniting that spark for others.
Mrs. Lee was my high school psychology, sociology, and world history teacher. She was unique in many ways, but reminded me a great deal of myself. Loud, outgoing, rambunctious, but the most caring individual you will ever meet. Throughout high school I had never told anyone of my mother's illness, but after reading a scholarship I wrote in high school that I had laying on my desk she discovered for herself. She forced me seemingly to open up more to other people and allowed them to see what I was going through in life. She had a group of nine students in our sociology class and that class was the greatest class I have ever taken because of the closeness that developed between all of us and the way we bounced ideas off each other.
Senora Sapusek also had a very strong presence in my time at Northfied. She was not only our teacher but also our Key Club leader. Senora would spend endless hours preparing volunteer activities and class all because she cared that much. Education was important to her, but above all else was giving back. To her education was only one of the many ways she was able to give back to the community. She taught us inside and outside of the classroom. She showed us how truly blessed we all were and how important it was to see the light at the end of the tunnel. During my senior year, everyone was deciding what they wanted to be, but I was stuck. Senora would just smile at me and say, “one day you will be teaching in this building right beside me and I can't wait.” I would fight her throughout my senior year on that every step along the way, but it seemed every teacher I had felt the same way. I love education and every aspect of it, but my problem was that with all the education reforms and challenges I just didn't know if I could do it. But then I remembered the old saying if you love what you do then you never have to work another day in your life. The rest was history.
There was one more person, who attributed greatly to my high school career and the rest of my life, her name was Haley. She was a little girl in the Special Ed class that would come to change my life forever in ways I never seemed possible. Ninth period every day I was in an independent study course. My instructor had prep that period and Haley would come in every Friday for the day. I began talking to her one day and we just connected. The guidance counselor came down one day after hearing how well Haley responded to me. She was in amazement. Throughout the rest of the year, I would be looking after Haley. I would walk her to class and explain life lessons to her she couldn't quite comprehend mentally. Haley's goal that year was to learn how to write a story and my goal was to see her succeed. I bought her a journal to write in every day and eventually she had her story telling down pat. I have numerous stories Haley has written me and read them every once in a while. To know that I'm responsible for her success in story writing brings a smile to my face every day. I had never felt such reward from anything in my life.
When I wasn't in school, I was at home studying and avoiding my mother's illness. Upon the end of my sophomore year I received my license and the ability to obtain employment. I went out on a relentless search for a job and finally found one at Ponderosa Steakhouse. I had never had a job before and wasn't quite sure what to expect. I would soon call Ponderosa my home as well. I would spend countless hours working when I wasn't in school. Learning all the positions and finding great joy in doing my best at work. I gained many lifelong friendships through my high school job and continue to work there now through college. It has shown me the importance of hard work and working together for a single goal like running a restaurant.
I began taking care of myself at a very young age. I saved up money from high school and won numerous scholarships to be able to attend Manchester College, an education that I hope to receive and share with students, so they can in turn share what knowledge they gain. My biggest goal is to teach youth how important it is to never give up and to keep after whatever it is they want to achieve in life no matter the difficulties in their life. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Education is one of the greatest blessings that have been given to us in America and sharing that knowledge is one of the greatest blessings you can give yourself as an individual. My goal is to not only be given that blessing every day, but also to give it to others.