Overcoming Obstacles in a Special Way by Christopher

Overcoming Obstacles in a Special Way by Christopher - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

The most important lesson I have learned from a teacher had to have come from my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Parks. She taught me that everyday we face new challenges, and that we all have unique talents and qualities that will help us overcome these challenges. She taught us that each individual is special and we could each make a difference in the lives and world around us. She was my very first teacher in my educational journey, and had an everlasting impact on my life.
How right she was in warning of the challenges we would face and the unique ways of overcoming them. I graduated high school thinking I would never set foot in another educational institution for the remainder of my life. The main reason was during my senior year in high school when it came to apply to colleges, I had chosen two schools to apply to, the guidance counselor flat out infomed me that I would not get into either of these schools. She also failed to inform me that I could have attended community college.
A year after graduation, I decided to join the military since college wasn’t an option. After a somewhat successful stint in the Army, an old life challenge of drug addiction found it’s way back into my life and ended my career in the U.S. military. For three years following my discharge from the military, I continued down a dark path that was not only destroying my health, but destroying my future. Without going into detail, some of the encounters that came about during my struggle with addiction would have prevented anybody from ever finding a successful way out.
Fast forward to 2016, I am a year and a half away from obtaining my Bachelor’s degree from a prestigious university, with a very good chance of continuing on to graduate school. I have worked on several local, state, and national political campaigns over the past year. I have volunteered countless hours in my local community helping others. Finally, I have received distinguished awards for academics, such as being named to the Dean’s List, and being nominated and accepted to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Overcoming my various life challenges can be attributed to what my teacher, Mrs. Parks instilled in me all those years ago.
I recently went home for a visit. As I was leaving a restaurant one afternoon with my parents, I ran into the teacher who laid the foundation for my life. She greeted me with a hug, stating how proud she was of me and that she always knew I was special and was destined for great things. This brought about a sense of coming full circle, to hear her reiterate and confirm what she told us all those years ago.