I don't know if the Honors Program should award me a tuition scholarship, but I feel that I should apply. And if they feel that I deserve it, then I will proudly use it to further my education at ISU.
As a non-traditional student I have overcome many obstacles to my educational success. Some are inherent in our system designed to educate the young, and some were the just the circumstances of my life. I retired from the Army in August 1998 just prior to my 1st semester at ISU. I moved my family from central Texas to Normal, and almost immediately took my son back to Texas Christian University for his freshman year. He got ill and couldn't attend class for five weeks late in his 1st semester. He never recovered enough academically to keep his Honors scholarships and had to leave school after his 1st year. In the meantime, I turned 40 and my wife divorced me. Then my son joined the Army and left again. Throughout all this fun and exciting life I have managed to acquire a 3.79 GPA and to be invited into the Golden Key Honor Society. My GPA should be a 4.0, but I was unable to finish my incomplete in Dr. Deutsch's Senior Seminar in Logic last spring. I intend to remedy this one lapse this summer after I finish my other courses.
As a student at ISU I have been actively involved in many facets of this educational institution. Pursuing a double major in Philosophy and Applied Computer Science, and a minor in Cognitive Science with an emphasis in Psychology, I interact with many more departments than a typical student does. As the Vice President, I helped resurrect the ISU Philosophical Society last school year. I remain an active member by donating books to our book sale at Spring Fest, baking cookies for our bake sales, presenting my own papers and arranging for faculty to present papers to our organization. I also assisted Dr. Anderson in hosting the 1999 Holiday Philosophy Video Party. I tutored Symbol Logic in Fall 98 and Finite Math in Spring 99. I have volunteered a few hours each semester at the Office of Disability Concerns reading books onto tapes. I have worked and continue to work 20 hours/week at the Circulation Desk at Milner Library. I have served as a member of the University Library Committee for over 14 months now. I volunteered and served as a Passages Team Leader both Spring 99 and Fall 99 Passages.
As a member of the community I support the arts by being a Friend of Milner Library, a Friend of WGLT, and a member of Beyond Normal Films. I regularly visit the Normal Theater and support as many of the other downtown businesses that I can.
Thanks to my divorce and my son becoming independent I have managed to lose the vast majority of my financial aid for next year and had to pay over $1350 in taxes that I owed. Money is a very valuable commodity to me right now, especially as I begin applying to two graduate programs per school this fall. I intend to get an MLS in Library Science and an MA in Philosophy or in the History and Philosophy of Science, hopefully at the same time.
Does any of this mean that I should get a tuition scholarship? I don't believe that it does. All I know is that I have faced many difficult obstacles over the last 2 years and that, all things considered, I have been extremely successful. If the Honors Program deems my accomplishments and activities worthy of consideration for this scholarship I will be honored.
Written 13 April 2000