by Drew Burrage

Created on: January 27, 2009   Last Updated: February 13, 2009

Dear Scholarship Committee:

My birth mother was 16 years old when she gave me up for adoption to her foster parents, Bill and Shirley Burrage. They had 9 children prior to me and were in their late 40's and early 50's. I was a lost child for many years, until one day I realized that I was the only child left at home. My world changed many times between the age of 5 and the age 12; geographic changes, loss and abandonment. These previous effects were due to a death in the family, which caused conflict in everyone that survived; divorce of parents, which began a torrent of moves (7 in seven years); and finally being the only kid left at home by the time I was 10.

At the age of 12, I began drinking and smoking pot; at 13, I was running away from home; age 14, I was burglarizing houses; when I turned 15, I decided I knew I what was best for life and it had nothing to with school, work, or family. I left home and lived on the streets for five years. During which, I became heavily involved in drugs and crime, even more so then I had been before. Of course, during this time I found that I had a passion for traveling, reading, and writing. I was 20 when my mother asked me to come back home because she needed help coping with menial tasks due to her Multiple Sclerosis. At the age of 23, I got into a fight and harmed the other guy; i.e. victim. This event caused me to go to prison for a year and a half.

After leaving prison I realized that my life had been a continual battle, and it was a battle that I was losing. I came to believe that my mind and body were not the only things being harmed in by my actions. I sought help, and entered into a program which helps me cope with life because I knew I had two choices: lead a life of insanity, or lead a life where I could learn to be productive. I began college in fall of 2007 with hopes of gaining knowledge and new experience to help me further my objective. I have been clean from drugs and alcohol for over a year and a half. I have learned that I suffer from a disease called addiction, I have also learned that today I am not a victim of my disease. Today, I am a man getting through life the best he can.

My dream is to live out a part in John Steinbecks' Red Pony by one day being a grandfather and being able to tell my stories to my grandchildren, even though they have heard them a hundred times. I would like to convey the great adventure of life to these grandchildren, but in order to understand the importance of life's adventure

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