Lee Aren Brown
Lexington, Kentucky
Talbots Scholarship, 2010
I am honored to have received the $15,000 Talbots Scholarship in 2010. This scholarship will assist in my dream of achieving both educational and career goals. It has eliminated the financial burden of college related expenses, and helped build the groundwork for the rest of my life. When I was in high school I honestly did not think I was smart enough to go to college. Upon graduating from high school in 1995 I started working in a local mall earning a minimal salary. Several jobs later and progressing to the year 2002, I found myself married, living in Florida, and working up to 60 hours a week to earn a living. In the fall of 2003, I was in the process of getting a divorce and that was the turning point when I realized I must do something better for my life. I needed to further my education, concentrate on having a career, and a better quality of life. I refused to believe that I was not smart enough to attend college and desired to have a higher education.

By 2004 I was officially divorced and in 2005 I started working in a well-established business in Lexington. With the encouragement of my parents and supervisor at work, in 2006 I enrolled as a part-time student for an Associate of Science Degree in Business Management at Sullivan University. I firmly believe that we are the sum total of every decision that we have made in our life. Achieving a degree is an investment that will help shape my future successes, acquire additional knowledge that is priceless, and have a better quality of life.

Presently I hold a 3.79 grade point average out of 4.0 and am proud to be a member of the International Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa. I am living proof that you can achieve your goals and dreams, and I would like to acknowledge that I would not be where I am today without my faith in God. My faith has kept me from giving up during difficult times. My faith is what sustains me day to day to keep working, keep achieving, and keep dreaming. My faith to obtain a degree is important to me and I am genuinely honored to have been one of the recipients of the 2010 Talbots Scholarship.

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