My Life Experience and Plans for the Future

 

Sometimes, when you are going through a difficult time in your life or experiencing a painful situation, you cannot stop asking yourself: “Why me?” However, at the end of the day, you realize in fact that it had to be you. These times of trouble occurred to give you the perspective and maturity that you could not get any other way, to build and strengthen your character.

 

My father abandoned my mother and me when I was two years old. At this time, she was unemployed. You can imagine how hard it was for us. My mother and I have lived in precarious conditions ever since. My mother could not afford a car, and public transportation was scarce; hence, we walked home from school. Often it rained. Then, my mom would be sad and I would be about to cry because the rain was wetting my only pair of shoes. These moments were painful; however, they have taught me important life lessons.

 

First, I learned not to give up, no matter how dire a situation can be. When I wanted to create my natural fruit juice company, Deli'Juice, a not-for-profit one to provide fresh-squeezed juice to the students in my school, several adults in my surroundings were discouraging me. To them, young people cannot achieve great things during their youth; they should only focus on their studies and wait until they are mature. Despite the lack of encouragement, I kept working on my project. Fortunately, three of my classmates decided to invest and take part in the project. Another challenge I had to face was to convince the students in my school to consume our juice, for fizzy drinks were their favorite. Thanks to our persistence and clever marketing, we have overcome all these obstacles and Deli'Juice is selling very well.

 

Furthermore, I learned how to take initiatives without being asked. My high-school newspaper had stopped being published for many years. Several classmates and I wanted to start it over. We expressed our interest to the principals, who were very happy and gave us all the materials we needed for the newspaper. Every Friday, we typed and proofread the articles and gave them to the principals for last editing and printing.

 

After completing my education, I plan to put into effect a project called "Rainbow" in my home country. In Haiti, when you see a rainbow in the sky, it announces good news and gives hope of nicer weather. Since the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010, living in Haiti has become more and more difficult. The aftereffects of the earthquake are still there. Through this project I hope to give hope to my compatriots and help reduce the grinding poverty.

 

In order to achieve my goal, I am going to create companies that will invest in various sectors, from agriculture to tourism. These companies will considerably reduce the rate of unemployment and create wealth in the country. If the citizens are working, they will be able to take care of themselves; there will be less poverty. And if there is less poverty, there will be less insecurity too. Furthermore, most of the profits of these companies will be used to build public schools, hospitals, touristic infrastructures and low-income housing for the citizens. I would like to be the manager or on the executive board of one of these companies, and the others will be managed by other young people with whom I will associate.

 

It is in some ways paradoxical, but I feel I should thank my father, if not for the trials and sufferings in my life, but for the effect they produced on me. His leaving has helped me more than I would have thought. It is the source of my motivation. Every time I think about it, I want to go further, expand my limits. Things happen for many reasons. The most important is not the reason, but how we handle our life from that point on. I have grown into a strong person ready to confront every situation, to handle every conflict, and to face any challenge.

 

There is a proverb in Haitian Creole: “Yon sèl nou fèb, ansanm nou fò,” which means in English “Alone, we may be weak, but as a group we are strong.” The future of the country depends on us, young people, who are going to assume our responsibilities together. I have recently been accepted to Berea College, Kentucky, on a near-full scholarship to start a Bachelor’s degree in economics. I will not run away from my responsibilities – unlike my dad. Haiti needs me, my determination, my courage, my expertise. I will come back and make a difference.

 

Kenny L. Nelson, C.C.F., Terminale