How My Obstacle Became an Opportunity by Caroline

How My Obstacle Became an Opportunity by Caroline - February 2017 Scholarship Essay

In this day and age, the pressure to achieve is greater than ever. As a five-sport athlete, my goals have been not only to achieve on the sports field but also to excel in the classroom. Such pressure is sure to create a series of failures for some people; for me, it became an eating disorder. Now in recovery, I am helping both myself and others. I know this experience has given me the opportunity to flourish, now and into the future. Thanks to this journey, I believe I will be successful in college -- and turn my failure into a lesson plan for success.

As a perfectionist, I was an ideal candidate for an eating disorder. I developed anorexia during my high school freshman year. Even though I worked very hard, I still lacked confidence in my school work, my athletic performance, and more importantly, myself. I struggled with this illness for more than a year, in spite of success on the sports field and in the classroom. As a sophomore, I was a starter on two varsity sports and on the highest honor roll – yet I lost more than 40 pounds and was in dangerous health. I was excelling on the field but failing at life.

At the end of that school year, I became tired of treating myself poorly and not performing my best. I also knew that I wanted to attend a four-year college and become the best student athlete possible. This realization motivated me to recover. I began to listen to my body, worked with many specialists and began to get stronger. I worked hard to defy my doubtful thoughts. I am now in recovery, I’ve regained the lost weight. I’ve added muscle and speed, and I’m stronger than ever.

I believe this difficult failure has now propelled me to success. I became the captain of the Field Hockey team, one of the fastest runners in the history of Winters Mill’s indoor track team, and received all conference honors in hockey, cross country and lacrosse. I also achieved straight A’s in my honors and AP classes and was inducted into the National Honor Society. I also received the Award of Excellence for my video production program at the Career and Tech Center, and had perfect attendance, even while attending therapy sessions to get better.

As I now continue my senior year of high school, I know this experience has readied me for a successful college future. I am determined to continue on this positive path, and am motivated to push myself every single day to be the best I can be. Importantly, I wish to apply my new self-confidence to inspire others to show them that overcoming obstacles is part of life, and success is achievable.

Throughout my years at Winters Mill, my character has been demonstrated through my actions, which I believe will be an asset as a student at Mount St. Mary's University, where I will be a student and an athlete in cross country and track.

Even in the worst days of my disorder, I worked to help others with their problems. Motivating others and sharing my recovery story encourages me to stay strong and be a role model. I would like to continue this work at Mount St. Mary's University, as I imagine the stresses of college may create similar situations at this academic level. I am even considering nutrition as a major in college so I can turn this into a lifelong career.

Many say that your greatest strength can be your biggest weakness. Instead, I’d like to say that my largest obstacle has become my biggest opportunity.