We are excited to announce the December 2023 Financial Goals Scholarship winner is Justine! Congratulations!
"Thank you so very much for granting me this scholarship 1st Financial Bank! I feel incredibly grateful and blessed. I truly appreciate your belief in my future dreams and career choice. These funds will most definitely help me achieve those goals! Thank you!" - Justine S.
Imagine your career ten years from now after all your hard work has paid off. Whether you’re building a successful business, saving lives as a doctor, or hosting your own cooking show, you're likely working towards or living out your dream career. In her essay, Justine shares her dream job as a teacher and the plan to make that dream a reality.
"When I imagine my life ten years into the future, I imagine walking around my own classroom with colorful posters, cute furniture, and children laughing and playing all around me. My dream is to be a successful first grade teacher who makes a wonderful impact on the students around me. I want to wake up early every morning with a positive attitude and excited mentality surrounding my day. I believe this career path will give me exactly the fulfillment and joy that I want to pursue throughout my life. I’m extremely passionate about this because I love children, as well as being someone that the youth can trust.
My senior year of high school I was a teacher assistant for a seventh grade class and first grade class. I loved both of those experiences but loved working with the first graders the most. One thing that I did with them was correcting math sheets and working with them through the problems they got wrong. Another thing that I did was teach them how to tie their shoes. So many kids had no idea how to do it and often they would get extremely frustrated after a while but they would be so incredibly happy once they figured it out on their own. This gave me some practice helping kids work through those emotional battles and feel a huge sense of accomplishment after putting in work and being successful. This will lead to fulfillment not only in my work life but also in my personal life.
I hope to get married and have children someday and this lifestyle will be wonderful for raising kids of my own. After each school day I’ll be able to pick them up, spend time with them, and make dinner. This passion I have for my future career goes so much further than just my career, it affects my future happiness within my whole life. What I’ve learned about myself so far is that I need to do whatever is going to make me happy in life, which has had a direct effect on my personal choices and my plan for making my dream a reality.
I am currently attending University of Wisconsin-La Crosse but next year I plan to transfer to University of Wisconsin-Superior so that I can be closer to home. I will be able to complete my degree completely online aside from my semester of student teaching. Next, I hope to get a job at my hometown school as a Paraprofessional and help coach my hometown basketball team. This will give me great experience and allow me to ease into the culture of education. Lastly, I hope to work more at my current job as a waitress and make more money to set myself up for the long run. This plan overall will allow me to earn my degree, get field experience, and make money while learning. Overall, I am very excited for what my future has to offer.”
Established in the year 1910, 1st Financial Bank USA (1FBUSA) provides quality community banking services in South Dakota, credit card and other financial services to college students and college graduates, and construction lending to builders, developers, and investors from coast to coast. 1FBUSA will award a $2,000 scholarship to a new winner each month. View full rules and eligibility at 1fbusascholarship.com.
