I am looking for scholarships to help fund my doctoral pursuits. I am an educator with a Master’s degree, but teachers in Hawaii don’t usually have salaries that reflect their signficant role in molding and preparing the next generation of leaders. Anyway, I digress.  The point is simply that I could use a few extra dollars to help fund my endeavors…So I do what every student in higher education usually does…I look for scholarships.

I figured that since I am a teacher I am

entitled.

I am pursuing a doctorate which makes me more marketable in today’s economy, so I must be

entitled.

I am advancing in the field of education which will benefit the society so I should be

entitled. 

I want to pay my own way as much as possible and live as debt-free as possible; in other words, I am not seeking handouts, just money that’s already designated for scholarships. Doesn’t that qualify me to be

entitled?

I am just above the poverty line, if not walking it, as a teacher in Hawaii, so I’m certainly

entitled.

Right? Wrong! 

I am not Black, Hispanic, Latino, Native American, Polynesian, I am White-European.

I am not gay, lesbian, bi-or transsexual.  I’m as straight as they come.

I am not a single parent. I’m simply single.

I am not on welfare because I have a supportive family.

I am not first generation college since my father worked hard to get his education.

I don’t belong to a million different prestigious organizations and clubs, since I prefer to volunteer at church and work at a local vet clinic.

The only thing I am entitled to is feeling like I should be entitled.