Edward Leonard

Edward Leonard

At the tender age of nineteen years old I have yet to discover a place like my hometown in Miami, Fl. Born and raised in West Coconut Grove, there were many paths open to submerge into, yet if it had not been for the encouragement from strong pioneers of my community like the great Thelma Gibson, Thomas Sands and hardworking parents who continually pushed and uplifted me, I would not be where I am today. Today I stand as the first child in my family to attend college at none other than the prestigious University of South Florida St. Petersburg. As of March 2018, I hold a 3.5 overall G.P.A. Thankfully, I have yet to pay one cent for college tuition. A few of the scholarship awards I’ve earned include The Carnival Foundation Scholarship, The Horatio Alger Association Award, and The Coconut Grove Negro Women’s Club Scholarship. For a long time, I struggled in my household dealing with hardships such as watching my parents struggle with substance abuse and financial situations. My former educator and mentor from my neighborhood shared words of wisdom that will forever be stained on my heart. “Never think that you are the only one struggling. Believe it or not, someone has it much worse”. It took a long time to learn how to overcome my obstacles. I realized that I was placed in every situation throughout my youth simply because through faith it was destined that I would handle my obstacles, and most importantly learn from them and soon educate others. Icons of Coconut Grove overtime poured knowledge, time, culture, money and most importantly wisdom into me and for that, I will forever be in indebted to my hometown. My community has assisted me through times of need, when I searched for my first job, and even during my college application process. People took time out for me with the hope that one day I would return the favor to the next generation and the entire West Grove Community. I believe if anyone can survive in Coconut Grove, they can make it anywhere. Every community isn’t unique like Coconut Grove but the best advice I can give to anyone who currently struggles or has struggled through similar experiences such as my own, is that every day is a learning day and each day is set out to strengthen one for the next. The grand question is “will you strive to see tomorrow or give up today?”