Early into sobriety after twenty years of serious addiction, he knew education was his answer. With help from The Scholarship Fund, he now has a full-time job and an associate’s degree.
Benjamin’s Story
I made a lot of poor decisions during twenty years of active addiction, and I take full responsibility for that. I understand the setbacks those decisions have caused me and the hurt to the people I love. But finally, with God’s help, I went through a recovery program and now I’m building my life back.
I started off going to Dallas County Community Colleges while working one full-time and one part-time job to try to make ends meet. Then a friend told me about The Scholarship Fund. Many people wouldn’t have given me a chance at my age and with my history, but they did. First and foremost, that scholarship award enabled me to show my daughter that my hard work and diligence were paying off, that other people believed in me.
When I receive my associate degree, I hope to transfer to The University of North Texas for a business degree with a focus on supply management. That’s the field I work in now as a shipping and receiving supervisor—a job I would never have qualified for if I hadn’t been in school with a good GPA. Without The Scholarship Fund, I don’t know how in the world I would have come this far.
“Many people wouldn’t have given me a chance at my age and with my history, but The Scholarship Fund did, allowing me to show my daughter that hard work and diligence do pay off.”
–Benjamin Ramirez, shipping and receiving supervisor, and student