The confinements of Ignorance. by Camila

The confinements of Ignorance. by Camila - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

When I was younger I had a really hard time learning and concentrating in school. I thought of myself as capable, but it was as if the dots just couldn't connect. In school teachers taught me a method, told me to write it, memorize it, and later implement it in the test, I, on the other hand, resolved the problems with what made sense in my head, but that wasn't the way "allowed" or considered correct. People repeatedly treated me as someone that was futile, or as if I was just lethargic, they told me I was wrong and that I should fit the mold that was expected of me.

As the years went by and my grades started to deteriorate, teachers called my parents and told them that they thought I should be tested, they alluded to me having a learning disability, and not being able to sustain the academic level of the school I was enrolled in. My parents took me to be tested, and there we found that I didn’t have any problems, but actually that my intelligence quotient was above average, especially for someone as young as I was. This was good and bad news, yes I didn't have a problem, but it led me to further wonder why I couldn't understand, or why I wasn’t normal, why I couldn't be good at school or even think like the rest. At the moment I decided I was to blame and belittled the gift that I was too blinded to see.

Academically this was so challenging and frustrating, I tried harder and did an adequate job, later I moved to the United States, where an American teaching method was used, and I felt like things finally made sense. I learned that it wasn’t the fact that in America the method was drastically different, but the fact that we had independence and liberty to learn on a way that made sense to us. I learned by myself how to understand the world, language, algebra, and science. I ultimately learned that to get four you don't necessarily have to just add two plus two, but that there are actually millions of ways you can solve a problem. I ultimately overcame this obstacle by learning that there’s no mold, that no one is the same, and that sometimes it is okay to be different.

Robert T. Kiyosaki said, the fear of being different prevents most people from seeking new ways to solve their problems. I, at the moment, was not afraid, I just didn't know I was different; people often told me I was wrong, and I truly believed that they were right and that I just needed to try a little harder. Now, I still struggle with not being like others and thinking differently, I am still sometimes afraid of not fitting in, but this life struggle taught me that it's okay to be me, and breaking the mold can sometimes be okay, and especially that thinking differently just bring more ideas. I learned to appreciate my gift, to trust myself and that I can fight through any obstacle and trial.