The Academic Failure That Made Me Stronger by Angela
Angelaof Tucson's entry into Varsity Tutor's August 2014 scholarship contest
- Rank:
- 0 Votes
The Academic Failure That Made Me Stronger by Angela - August 2014 Scholarship Essay
My most significant academic failure occurred during my freshman year in high school. I was still learning the art of organization and how to balance the fun things in life with the realities of responsibility.
I had a new history teacher that year and I was given an essay assignment. I recall that the subject involved the environment and the history of environmentalism. My time management was quite poor and I waited until the evening before the assignment was due to start writing. This was in the year of 1991 and I was using an old-fashioned typewriter with no automatic spell-check features. I recall frantically typing into the late hours of the night, and completing what I thought was a decent essay.
I was surprised when I received a near-failing grade on my assignment. I had written a paper that was so full of typographical errors and blatant misspellings, that the message I was trying to convey was unclear. I can still recollect the abundance of red pen marks and slashes across the page, further emphasizing my failure. Along with my poor grade came the look of disappointment on my teacher’s face – he had truly expected more from me.
I learned a very valuable lesson that day that I have carried with me into adulthood. For most people, prioritizing tasks with a high level of organization and diligence is crucial to being successful. I have found this to be very true in my own experience. As a nurse, wife and mother to four children, I am most successful when I apply these principals on a daily basis.
I am thankful to have gained this experience as a young high school student. Now, as an adult, I strive for excellence in all that I do. I endeavor to remain organized, to prioritize my plethora of responsibilities, and to not give in to procrastination. My hope is that my efforts will have a positive impact on other’s lives and inspire my children to put forth their best effort in all that they do.
