h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have a few proud moments, each for a different reason, but this one I remember being the happiest about, for reasons which will become obvious!

I was in high school, and I was applying for scholarships to go to college. One particularly prestigious one was offered through my father's employer, and he asked about it nearly every day. Finally, his boss gave him an application for it- which was due that Friday!

I almost gave up right there, but with my parents' encouragement, I wrote the essay in 48 stressful hours, and FedExed the application overnight. Months went by with no word. Finally, I got a letter in the mail- my dad gave it to me unopened, he wanted me to read it first.

I should mention here that my father is a grunt. He does manual labour for the power company, and is at the bottom of the pay scale. I should also mention that for the past five years, the only people who have gotten the scholarship had been children of engineers, managers, accountants- you get the idea.

So, that day, I opened the letter, fully expecting a "Thank you for your interest, but the Educational Award had already been awarded at this time..." Only higher-ups got the "Congratulations!" Letter.

I won! All I could do for the next five minutes was hug my dad, still in his greasy grunt-work uniform, and all he could do was hug me back!