Iowa by Da'Shaun

Iowa by Da'Shaun - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my life, I had faced countless trials and tribulations that tested the limit of my tolerance and cognitive skills. I had definitely gained some valuable lessons in all these experiences, good or bad, but as far as achievements are concerned, it would probably be that I had overcame failure in my academic career and significantly recovered from such a challenge. Yes, my greatest achievement I believe that I had accomplished thus far would be recognizing my strengths and weaknesses in school and my studies, and invest my time to improve on my faults to perform well academically and to make myself successful. 2 years ago was my sophomore year, the most turbulent one of my life so far. I knew what was expected to succeed in high school would, but after several challenges, I finally perceived what essential materials I needed to change in order to do better.
The failure I had was, suffice to say, that I was struggling academically. The transition from Des Moines to Johnston was an essential factor in my downfall in academics. I am used to scoring high, but the amount of homework I was given daily in Des Moines was truly a far cry from what Johnston today gives me. In effect, the load of class work was truly difficult; having an AP class and other considerably hard classes with no study period whatsoever. My problem was that I had no organization or effective planning skills, nor was I able to fully understand how crucial this year was of my high school career. I wanted to quit, mainly because I had to pull overnighters very frequently and that I was endeavoring to understand any content in my Computer Science class. Nonetheless, negative tendencies and ill thoughts within me are what had great influence on my performance and attitude in school.
A defining factor in my setback was my insecurity of not wanting to seem like a dunce in front of my peers. That alone caused fear to dwell within me, restricting me from asking for any assistance from my teacher, peers, or even my parents. I wanted to drop the class immediately, but my parents urged me to keep going, and to not let one struggle be the reason for quitting, without working hard to finish on a good note. Consequently, I let my grades slip and ended up failing a class for the first time in my life, a highlight I cease to forget. I was mortified that I had earned an F, or a D at that, yet I lost motivation to do well in the class. English too was another failure that I loathed. At the end of the semester, I wanted to start anew and not to focus on past mistakes. Now that everything is over for the 1st semester, I know now that I needed to put myself back on track and start a new leaf. As the 2nd semester begun, I vowed to not make those same mistakes again.
Finally, I had then understood what the importance and impact grades can have on one’s life. My parents had indeed scolded for not staying with the teacher, or even admit I needed help, despite that they tried to sit down and help me out. As expected, I’ve changed as an individual, and now I have enhanced my learning capabilities and did even better my junior year, and so far I am doing well in my senior year also, a feat I am proud of. They constantly reminded that even if you are knocked down by the constant struggles that obstruct your conscious, you must pick yourself back up, brush yourself of all negative thoughts, and proceed on with your head held high. This is what I believe to be the greatest milestone I have ever reached in my life so far; to be cognizant of my mistakes and to be able to improve on those faults, and to shape myself and my values as whole to a newer, more defined, more positive level. That had truly became the principal reason as to why I am more successful and why I have the mentality to be able to conquer challenges that arise on my journey. Thank you.