Krysta Tate, Durant High salutatorian
Will attend the University of Florida

I had responsibilities given to me years earlier than other kids because of a grim situation. After battling for her life for more than a year and a half, my mother passed away from cervical cancer in June 2007. The cancer had reached her lymph nodes and then spread throughout her body. It was a huge struggle to watch as her organs shut down, one by one.

My mom was a very large part of my life and her passing was the turning point in my school career. She always stressed the importance of school.  When I came home from school, I would usually find my mom lying on the couch. Her chemotherapy was very frequent toward the end of her life and greatly affected her energy level and her memory. Every night my mom would ask me if I had finished all of my homework. She would ask me at least six times a night, every night. At the time it was so frustrating to keep repeating my answer.

Now that I am older, that routine is a relief. I repeatedly ask myself, “Have you done all of your homework?” My mom’s constant reminding when I was young keeps me in the top five students of my graduating class now.

I owe all of my success in school to my mother. Doing well in school keeps her memory alive in my heart. I want to live the way she would want me to live, as a successful student and a respected human being.

Excerpted from Krysta’s college application essay.