The People I Don't Know by Candyce

The People I Don't Know by Candyce - November 2022 Scholarship Essay

As a student athlete with a 4.0 GPA, amongst the top of my class, and taking all AP, DE, and Honors classes my school has to offer, you’d think I’d have plenty of inspiring sources around me. Perhaps my parents, siblings, coaches, or peers would do the trick. Making them proud, honored, or perhaps being an inspiration to them would inspire me to do things for myself.

However, it doesn’t. In fact, it’s hard for me to keep trying so hard when the people I know seem to be having fun, taking the easy route, or simply don’t care… But what about the people I don’t know?

Every day, we are surrounded by other humans. Strangers. A stranger is defined as “a person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar.” Hundreds of stories and hundreds of lives. People starting new jobs and people losing their job; people falling in love and people falling out of love; people bringing home a new baby and people bringing home a new pet; people feeling confident and people feeling insecure; people who are financially stable and people simply trying to make ends meet-- we're all just trying to figure life out.

We are all on a journey. The people I know may seem to be having it easier than me, but what about the people I don’t know? You never know what someone else is going through; and these strangers are the ones who have surprisingly inspired me to keep working hard, follow my dreams, and never give up.