Academic Inspiration by Braeden

Academic Inspiration by Braeden - October 2019 Scholarship Essay

Who has inspired me academically and how have they encouraged my success? Although many of my previous teachers and coaches have inspired me, the person with the most influence has been my mother. How? She is my mother, so it's engrained in her! She is an educator, so she can't help but encourage everyone and she tutors students in the evenings to give them the one-on-one help that they need.
As my mother, my mom is always supportive of everything I am involved in. This includes my school work. If I have a question or am not understanding something, she is always willing to stop what she is doing to answer my question or check my work. She has instilled in me that I always need to pay attention to the details and to always check my work.
As an educator, she has an unlimited amount of patience. For example, if I don't understand one way of doing a math problem, my mom will show me a different way. She explained that everyone's brains work differently, so there is never one way to work things, especially in math. This has helped me develop a love for and to excel in math classes.
I have witnessed my mother tutor numerous students in the evenings and on weekends. I have watched the progression of a student who has no confidence in their academic skills and is failing all their classes to a confident Honor Roll student. This has encouraged me to not waste my academic gifts. There are students who struggle every day in school. If I am excelling in something, I try to help someone who is struggling. Helping the "light bulb" come on is amazing and I have my mother to thank for the confidence and desire to help others succeed.
I have had many adults throughout my life that have inspired my academic success. However, none have inspired me more than my mother. She loves helping students who are struggling and has taught me the importance of doing my best in school. I have turned those lessons into a desire to help others who are struggling, which has made me an even stronger student.