You're Not a Failure, But You Did Fail by Aminata

You're Not a Failure, But You Did Fail by Aminata - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If there’s one common human experience that nobody likes to go through, it’s failure. Whether it's an exam, a relationship, losing weight, or learning a new skill—we all want to succeed. I want to succeed. What I didn’t know growing up is that failing isn’t the end. Sometimes, it’s the only way the story of my life could move forward.

Life isn’t just about chasing happiness. It has both its ups and downs. Without the lows, how would we ever appreciate the highs? And it’s the same with failure—we have to fail. Without it, how would we learn from our mistakes? How would we develop ourselves? How would we grow in grit and perseverance to overcome even the toughest situations?

The answer is: we wouldn’t.

And what kind of people would we be if we believed that the only way to live a good life was through constant success? Failure plays a huge role in everyone’s life—especially mine.

One of the times I truly felt like a failure was in the winter of 2020. Let me set the scene for you. It was the fall semester of my second year at university. Like many other students around the world, I was learning remotely due to COVID (you know—the mask-wearing, six-feet-apart, toilet-paper-hoarding time in everyone’s life).

I was failing organic chemistry. (I could tolerate chemistry, but organic? Never stood a chance.)
I was failing to keep up with my emotional health. (On the outside I seemed okay—but inside, a hurricane was brewing.)
I was failing to feel confident in the career path I had chosen.

When the dam finally broke, I made a decision: I wasn’t going back next semester. I withdrew. It was a tough choice, but at first, I felt relieved. Then came the disappointment from my parents. Then came the uncertain time afterward—figuring out what to do next. I began second-guessing myself.
Had I made the right decision?
Maybe I should’ve just stuck it out.

If only I didn’t fail.

I failed.

I’m a failure.

F a i l u r e.
But then, time passed. I got a job. I met lots of different people. I quit that job and got another. I grew my interests and dared to explore new paths—paths I never would have tried if I hadn’t failed. I learned from my experience. That one event didn’t have to define me. It didn’t have to break me. Because failure isn’t meant to do that. It might feel like that at the moment, but it’s truly what shaped me into the person I am today.

So, if I could give one piece of advice to my past self, it would be this:
You're not a failure, but you did fail. And there’s no true success without it.