As my principal, mr. howard, read the names of the scholarship recipients, i held my breath in anticipation. i wanted to hear my name called and the cheers from the audience. however, my name never passed through mr. howard's lips. when the last name was read, i felt numb. the hours that i spent writing the scholarship essay felt wasted. i finally had the sinking realization that i would never be cinderella and that fairy godmothers do not exist. without that scholarship, accomplishing my dreams would be incredibly difficult.