A reflection by Akshay

A reflection by Akshay - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

“Dum Spero Spiro”. While I breathe I hope. A senior quote is often a simple arbitrary phrase that lies at the center of a students high school career layered with experiences and knowledge gained from each year of learning. Dum Spero Spiro an unfamiliar phrase unbeknownst to most is a philosophy that I was introduced to from an early age but one that I simply stumbled upon during my high school career and have learned from throughout my education.
Four years ago, marked the beginning of my high school journey; a fresh start to a new beginning. Laziness and arrogance are traits that are often the bane of a high school students career. Unknowing of the obstacles I would face along the way, I entered 9th grade with a poor attitude towards learning and a knack for procrastination. Along with the new rigor of classes that came from my transition to high school was my profound inability for time management. Besides spending hours working on school assignments, I would spend my evenings swimming on the local club team or volunteering for Red Cross on weekends. Unable to cope with the fast paced rigor of a premiere academic institution and my hard-pressed schedule I saw my grades slowly slip. In my family where academic success was a tradition, my poor performance in school often resulted in long arguments with my parents regarding the efficacy of my academic work. With the weight from my peers, friends and family to do well in school I felt the societal pressures building up. We began our Language Art curriculum with a unique project particularly regarding ancient greek poets and literature. The purpose of the assignment was to choose one significant poet and discuss their contributions. Upon researching the poet I came across the phrase “Dum Spero Spiro” a philosophy that survived through Theocritus and Cicero, two bucolic poets. Upon defining the term, I reflected upon my mistakes realizing how my mistakes can still be rectified if I make the effort to make the change. Through careful planning of my daily routine, extra hours spent reviewing past content and solving additional practice problems; I was able to fix my mistakes and change the initially predestined outcome of my freshmen year.
Through failure and disappointment we learn much of ourselves and learn to accept the flaws and mistakes that we chose to neglect. Through this experience I learned much about myself and the values that I must keep throughout my life in order to succeed. I have learned that success has many faces and it is not just luck that plays a role. Vigilance and preparedness are one of the tools that we must obtain through hard work and focus. As a result sacrifices must be made in order to achieve our own goals. I believe that nothing is impossible and that problems can be overcome if we provide ourselves with the focus and the passion to improve. I believe that if my time in high school has taught me anything, it is that who we are is defined by our actions and our will to better ourselves. I believe that the only one holding us back from achieving the goals we wish to attain is ourselves. I believe in the meaning of “Dum Spero Spiro”.