Announcing the Winner of the Annual Bloom Legal Scholarship
Posted on Aug 5, 2019 in Uncategorized
Bloom Legal is thrilled to announce that the winner of this year's Annual Bloom Legal Scholarship is Samantha Davis! [caption id="attachment_6928" align="alignleft"] Scholarship recipient Samantha Davis with her family[/caption]Samantha will be attending the University of Illinois Springfield in the fall, and Bloom is happy to play a part in helping her achieve her aspirations of being a teacher and mentor!
Below, read Samantha's winning essay. Congrats Samantha!
Annual Bloom Legal Scholarship Essay
by Samantha Davis My start in life was a bit different than what most families experience. Born nearly three months early, weighing two pounds, eight ounces, and do to a physician’s mistake left me with a small head injury on my left side of my skull. I did not get to go home with my parents until almost six weeks postpartum. After many years of expressing concern, my parents finally had a medical diagnosis for my delay in growth physical, mental, and emotional behavior. I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at the age of three.By the time I was in early elementary school I had gone through many casts, physical and speech therapy sessions, day and night-time braces. Later years I would go through corrective surgery. I remember being nervous about school. This often led to fighting with my mother in the morning about not to getting dressed, or begging to stay home. I felt like the ugly duckling in my bulky pants and shoes too big for my feet because of braces. I couldn’t keep up with the other kids at recess. Sometimes sitting at desk would cause my legs to be pinched by my braces and the chair, or just hurt from sitting for far too long. However, I had one teacher that made me feel welcome in her room. Her name was Lisa Pulliam, a Special Needs teachers at Riverton Elementary. She strived to make every student feel at home in her classroom. She incorporated different methods of teaching that allow everyone to learn at their own pace or make their own connection. We were allowed to dance, jump, walk, run whenever she felt we needed a break. She was creative when it came to manipulatives to teach and always had a way to make the lesson fun. Mrs. Pulliam made me feel safe in a building that I felt like the odd kid out. She saw the potential in me before I could see it within myself. Today, with the help of the doctors at Shriners Children’s Hospital in St. Louis and the dedication of my parents, I’m happy to tell you that my case is very minor. To them I will never be able to say thank you enough. Nonetheless, I also owe a great deal of gratitude to Mrs. Pulliam for sparking my love of learning, and showing my what it means to truly care for each individual in your classroom. Currently, I work at that same elementary school as a paraprofessional. I even get to work in Mrs. Pulliam’s room and love having her as a mentor. It is my hope that by returning to school and finishing my degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Special Education that I can enrich a student’s life just as she has mine.About the Annual Bloom Legal Scholarship
Bloom Legal is proud to offer a scholarship for students affected by cerebral palsy. In the US, an estimated 764,000 people live with cerebral palsy. Usually occurring in childhood, cerebral palsy is the most common cause of physical disability for children.
Attorney Seth Bloom’s uncle was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a young age. Seth created the Bloom Scholarship in his honor, to help others affected by this disability pursue their goals and education.
