Out-of-State Scholarship Spring 2024 Winner

Kyla Burroughs

Kyla’s essay is a shining example of a brave young woman unafraid and undaunted by the challenge of attending college thousands of miles away from where she grew up. Through her support systems back home and the support system developing in her new environment in Washington, DC, we are confident that Kyla will continue to defy the odds in pursuit of her bachelor's degree. Fawell & Fawell is proud to award Kyla and wishes her all the best in the future.

Read Kyla’s Essay

For various reasons, leaving the rest of my family members, who reside in Portland, Oregon, to pursue my education nearly 3000 miles away in Washington, D.C., has come with its set of difficulties. Of those difficulties, the most apparent challenge has been in those moments where I simply wish to be consoled. As cheesy as this may sound, I have had a hard time adjusting from being in a circumstance that afforded me the luxury of being able to simply hug my mother, or my little sister, whenever I needed a sense of physical comfort. Now, the best I can do is “Face-time.” When it comes to advice, questions, concerns, etc., there are certain conversations that are only fully comprehensible in a face-to-face setting. Thus, I have found myself in a lot of situations where I do my best to decipher the message that those back home are trying to relay to me, but I still have to “figure things out” on my own, to a certain extent. Additionally, the time-zone difference continuously poses its hardships. Constantly being three hours ahead of those who I am closest to makes communication very difficult at times. When I am waking up, the rest of my family is still asleep. In instances where my family members have a free chance to talk on the phone, I am often either in class, or working. During times that I am about to fall asleep, sometimes, my family members are just beginning to eat dinner. The time-zone difference appears to be one of those things, where regardless of how much you try to work around it, it is often just in the way. Nevertheless, I do not regret my college decision in the slightest, and would make the choices I did, one thousand times over.

It is the support that I know I have back home, in addition to the realization I have made on my own, which is that I am currently living my “college dream,” that keeps me going, in spite of challenges. For as long as I can remember, my ambitions have been to get out of Portland, and pursue my undergraduate degree at an HBCU (Historically Black College/University). I am doing just that, as I currently attend Howard University. As a first-generation college student, to a large extent, I am “setting the bar,” and even making history, throughout my family. More than anything, it is the motivation that exists within me to obtain my college degree, and pursue my passions in the law-field, that keep me going everyday. Although this journey has not come without its set of sacrifices, and will undoubtedly require more sacrifices down the road, I can confidently say that the sacrifices have been more than worthy of the cause.