Overcoming Challenges...again by Daphne

Overcoming Challenges...again by Daphne - May 2022 Scholarship Essay

When I was younger, I had severe epileptic seizures. Multiple doctors said I wouldn’t be able to do normal activities or live a normal life. I have now been able to overcome these challenges without any lasting effects. In 2015, I completed my first adult Spartan Obstacle course Race, participated in competitive track and swim, and I am currently on the cheer team at my school. I have been faced with many adversities physically, but I have overcome them.

This affects my academics because I apply the same principle here. In the beginning of the Covid-19 quarantine, I was doing poorly in a lot of my classes. I had a negative mindset and I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish out the school year. Then I thought of the struggles my doctors said that I would face and how I was able to overcome them. I soon realized that if I was able to overcome those physical obstacles, I would surely be able to overcome the mental obstacles. I went from failing most of my classes to being commended for doing well in my college level courses. I was able to do better than I thought that I could do.

One thing that the Spartan Obstacle Course Race taught me was to conquer physical barriers that would stand in my way. I applied this same principle to the emotional and mental barriers that I had to overcome during quarantine. There will be a lot of pressure at any university following Covid, but I know that I will overcome these challenges because I have been conquering difficulties my whole life.