Overcoming a Global Pandemic by Court

Overcoming a Global Pandemic by Court - August 2023 Scholarship Essay

When I heard the news of a new disease quickly spreading across the world, I was in 8th grade and did not know what to make of it. Eventually, in a short amount of time, it reached America's shores and my school. My entire freshmen year was a hybrid of online and in person classes, with one or two classes a week in person, and the rest online. The entire way of how I understood schooling was turned upside down, but that only provides another challenge for me to overcome.

Online learning provided numerous disadvantages, such as weakened lesson plans and more communication barriers between the student and the teacher. However, while those disadvantages did impact my education, I learned to exploit the advantages available to improve my freshmen year. My school provided one day every week dedicated solely for students asking questions to teachers, so I ensured I attended every single one I could. In addition to this, commute times to and from school were cut to zero with online learning. This allowed me to get homework done as soon as school ends and spend more time with my friends and family.

Through the many challenges shown in the COVID-19 pandemic, I learned not to have the disadvantages drag down my performance, but rather exploit all of the advantages. When college, and eventually my professional career, begins, I intend on implementing this strategy in every aspect of my work ethic. It is impossible to ignore the drawbacks of a situation, and not paying any attention to them would be a terrible decision. However, by using all of the benefits of the COVID-19 pandemic for my use, I was able to have a good set of grades across all of my classes while also maintaining a good relationship with my friends and family.