Who I Grow To Be by Daphne

Who I Grow To Be by Daphne - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

I came to select English as my major because of my Junior year of high school. I experienced great challenges and trials and became the person I am today. With my difficult experience with bipolar disorder, mania, & death, I eventually realized that my life has a purpose. That purpose is closely related to my writing and my ability to share it with the world.
I survived not one, but three suicide attempts. I would experience great manic highs, followed by earth-shattering lows. My manic episodes were not traditional in the sense that I would not recognize them as manic, they're that subtle. I would write for 5 to nine hours a day, have great productivity and motivation... but no delusions, no jumping off of bridges because I believed I could fly. I was relatively sane.
During these manic highs, I wrote hundreds upon hundreds of pages. I believe to this day it is some of my best, most heartfelt work. It also made me believe that English was to be my future -- whether that be writing, journalism, or library science, I know that I have a solid career in this field. It is my hope to live up to that potential.