Engaging in Life by Amanda

Amanda's entry into Varsity Tutor's January 2022 scholarship contest

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Engaging in Life by Amanda - January 2022 Scholarship Essay

What truly shaped my academic successes in 2021 was my level of engagement in life. Engaging in life is more than just going to social events and 'living it up' as often as possible. Actively engaging in life is to mindfully choose to fully participate in opportunities. Doing this allows for a wider range of possibilities and developments. Additionally, with each engagement, the individual will reap the rewards of participating as well as a decreased anxiety level for future events.
In the summer of 2021, I was given the opportunity to participate in an internship with a South African global thinktank. The internship was incredible, but it did not feel incredible until halfway through the program. I was concerned that I was not worthy of being in the position I was in and feared failure. As a coping mechanism, I avoided fully participating in the program. Then I realized that this was a one in a life opportunity; if I failed, so be it, but I was going to give it everything I had. With this shift in perception, I noticed an almost instant change in my performance. I was more confident, I learned more, and I enjoyed myself. Plus, my work performance improved. At the end of the program, I reflected on how my experience was compared to others. I found that only a few of the interns decided to fully engage in the experience while the majority were more apathetic. The students who engaged were more successful and had a better impression of the internship. Later in the summer I participated in a Korean language class. It was the hardest academic pursuit I have attempted. I started to get discouraged but reminded myself of my lesson in engagement. I purposed that I would not avoid. Regardless of the outcome, I would know I gave it my all. This perception shift relieved my frustration, and I was able to perform better. Through both my summer programs, I affirmed that choosing to engage in challenges was better than avoiding life.
When I returned to my university in the fall, I made it a goal to actively participate in the semester regardless of what it held. Generally, my fears of what could go wrong if I engaged never occurred once I did engage. I was almost always more content with my situation when I chose to engage regardless of difficulty. Comparatively, when I chose to avoid, I regretted the opportunity I had missed. Being aware of the impact of engagement shifted my motivation from ‘I want to get through this’ to ‘I want to have the best story from this experience’. This shift pushed me to accomplish more than I thought I could. Engaging in life is a skill every intentional individual needs to learn if they want a fulfilling education, career, and life.

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