Grit by Cassidy

Grit by Cassidy - January 2018 Scholarship Essay

The word "grit" is most often associated with people or situations seen in movies such as "True Grit" or "No Country for Old Men," but more people can have grit than just rough and tough cowboys who had lived in the Old West. When I think of one word that has driven me to go to college, it is grit. Grit is the firmness of mind and spirit; it is the refusal to give up in the face of hardship or danger. Although college isn't necessarily a place where you will face imminent danger like the movies associated with grit, leaving the comfort of your home to start a new life is pretty scary. College freshman have to adjust from being with your family and friends everyday, to hopefully squeezing in a couple calls or texts a week. It is the first time many will be truly independent, thousands of miles away from their support system. In order to do this, one must have determination to complete an education and experience new things; one must have grit.

A part of my life that has taught me how to have grit is competitive dance. I have been dancing since could walk and have loved every minute of it, but sometimes it can be mentally and physically draining. I am constantly competing with myself to be better than the day I was before and it takes a lot of hard work and determination; it takes grit. In college, I plan to pursue a major in dance, and a career from that in whatever form it takes. I know that the career field is hard to make it in, and I know that my grit will help me make it. This word is why I want to go to college; this word will help get me through.