Appreciating Differences by Bailey

Appreciating Differences by Bailey - November 2019 Scholarship Essay

High school cliques are seen in all schools around the world. Do you play football? Then you'd be labeled a jock. Perhaps you and your friends enjoy debate club and Dungeons&Dragons. You'd be a geek. Maybe you like reading and your favorite classes are calculus and AP Mandarin. You would be classified as a nerd. What about your sibling who just doesn't get school and instead loves skipping to go to the local film and theater festivals? Total drama freak, right? Well not in my eyes.
In my perfect world of high school, anyone put into these groups would be perfectly normal-if normal is even a definable idea. No one would be outcast on the basis of their opinions, ideas, likes, dislikes, or hobbies. In fact, these disrespectful names would be eliminated from every dictionary on campus, and everyone would be respected and valued for who they are.
Of course, this is likely impossible. Nevertheless, I have dedicated my personal efforts to accepting all those around me for who they are. I believe I have worked to support my fellow classmates. By involving myself in diverse clubs and activities such as HOSA (Future Health Professionals), gymnastics, community service clubs, and school events, I have learned to accept everyone equally. I am more understanding of the differences in the talents that make one individual independent of another. Someone may be good at baseball, but that does not make them better than the student who is skilled in fencing or robotics. Everyone has their own worth and they matter just as much as the next.
As my school's principal says every morning over the intercom, "You Belong." I am continually putting effort towards making everyone feel like they belong. Yes, everyone has their difference and uniqueness to them, but that does not matter when we treat each other like valuable human beings.