Striving to Thrive by Alexandra

Striving to Thrive by Alexandra - February 2017 Scholarship Essay

Student council, band, FFA, and AP classes. Sports, choir, and academic teams. From a very young age, children are taught the importance of being involved, working hard, and finding success. Thus, it is understandable why many students, including myself, load their schedules with advanced classes and extracurriculars. Although high school is a key time for students to find their interests and gain experience, it taught me that overcommitting myself will only result in an overwhelming and unhappy lifestyle. While some may be able to manage a strenuous schedule, I needed to pinpoint my true passions in order to thrive.
As a middle school student, I knew I wanted to participate in as many activities as possible in high school. Although I chiefly joined to be involved with my school and rewarding experiences, I had also heard adults preach about the importance of extracurriculars. So, freshman year I immediately joined every club I could while playing school volleyball, club volleyball, and running track.
Freshman year went smoothly. My clubs met periodically, I went to practice during the fall and spring seasons, and even my honors classes were fairly simple. Then, I was a sophomore. Not only could I now take AP classes, but every aspect of my life seemed to be growing more serious. Still, it was not until the arrival of second semester that I truly began to feel the weight of all my commitments. Not only were my classes increasingly rigorous, but sports became more demanding as well. I struggled to keep up with schoolwork, run after school, and then go straight to volleyball in Indianapolis until late into the evening–only to face an abundance of homework. My grades dropped. I stressed all of the time. I battled small injuries. I rarely had time to be with my friends or relax, let alone sleep. For the first time, the things that once fueled my happiness tore me down.
I am a strong believer that happiness should always take priority in life. When you are not happy, it is time to make a change. When I realized that I was losing my sense of self and happiness, it was at this point that I felt as though I had failed. It was hard for me to accept the fact that I needed to give something up. Why was I unable to excel academically? Why was I not able to play the sports that I love and balance sleep and a social life? After reflecting with my parents and closest friends, I knew that I had to stop trying to be super-teenager. I began to drastically improve my times in track, and I questioned where my true passions and strengths lay. Whereas volleyball had always been my primary sport, I realized the love I had for running. What had held me back from this realization was the long-term commitment I had made to volleyball for the past five years.
In December of my junior year I made the decision not to play club volleyball. Although it was extremely hard to walk away from the friendships, games, and memories that I made in volleyball, I have never once regretted my decision. After countless hours of hard work and training, I was able to step foot at the 2016 IHSAA Track and Field State Championship.
Yes, it was terrifying knowing that I might fall short, that I had given up something I loved with the possibility of still failing. Yet, I came to the realization that I would rather fail knowing that I gave everything I had than live with the regret of not giving my best effort. Because of my decisions, I no longer felt as though I was just surviving everyday. Instead, I strived to thrive.