My Parents, My Inspiration by Amanda

My Parents, My Inspiration by Amanda - October 2019 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my entire life thus far, I have constantly been worried about failure. I try my hardest to push myself to succeed academically and mentally. Everyone says you are your worst critic. I am extremely hard on myself and suffer through a lot of self-doubt. My parents, act as my life raft. When I spiral and sink down to the deepest, darkest parts of self-doubt, my parents are there to keep me afloat.
When I first began going to school, I was terrified of leaving my family. I am almost 100% sure I cried when my parents dropped me off for my first day. I remember being more excited as my younger years of education progressed. I would work hard and try my best to get good grades. I tried my best to be on my highest behavior and to never act out. This continued through my elementary years. I studied hard for tests and always brought home excellent grades. I had been in the GATE program, gifted and talented education, from first grade up until my eight grade year. School had always been easy for me, but this was just the beginning.
After fifth grade, I began seeing which specific subjects I struggled in. The two I had the most struggles in were math and science. I took advanced math classes, much higher than my other friends, and began struggling with the concepts. I would sit at the table and cry because of how dumb I felt. My parents were always there to comfort me to the best of their abilities. They would sit down with me and talk me through the problems I could not finish. Once I got into higher math, my parents could no longer help me well enough. They would wait an hour after school for me to get homework help when I needed. They also ended up getting me a personal tutor to help me with my math struggles. My parents did anything they could in order to make sure I felt confident in my education.
Once I moved on to high school, I became more confident in myself. I still have my days where I am way too hard on myself and I struggle with my own thoughts. My parents always tell me they are so proud of how far I have made it already and that they are not worried about my grades. They are the reason I have made it this far.
All in all, I am extremely lucky to have the parents I do. They mean so much to me, and I would not be this successful without their help.