The Transition by Dominique

The Transition by Dominique - December 2017 Scholarship Essay

Anxiety is a mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry & fear that are strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities. Upon entering High School, life changed drastically. I began feeling unsure and worried about everything; if i’m doing things the right way, do I look okay, is anyone talking about me or judging me. I had the textbook definition of anxiety.
I remember at thirteen being excited but confused. Confused because at that age, after coming from a great vacation with my family, my grandmother, Deborah, had a stroke and almost died. My grandmother has been my rock since birth and has been a pivotal part of my educational growth. My mom had to work everyday, so my grandmother has raised me since birth. Now as I entered the eighth grade, I was faced with the possibility of not having her in my life. The anxiety I felt carried over to the following school year. The thought of having to face ninth grade without her guidance and presence was especially scary. I had to face the hardships of High School alone.
The fear of unknowns now turned into a fear of what if’s. What if I’m not successful, what if I don’t reach my goals in life, what if I am a disappointment to everyone and their ideas of what I should or shouldn’t be? It’s why prior to entering High School I rarely took chances. I would second guess things and say I wasn’t good enough, or see someone else going after the same opportunity and say “they’re better than me and they deserve it.” I never gave myself a chance. Now I’ve learned it’s impossible to succeed and thrive when your mind is telling you no and you feel like the world is against you.
I came to realize how strong of a person I was as I developed through High School. I became confident in facing fears that I previously would have relied on my grandmother to help me deal with. High School came with heavy workloads and long to-do lists of what I needed to complete to get into college. High School started out very stressful for me. However, by the end, I conquered the ability to prioritize. I learned that mentorship was very important to my gaining success in areas where I was unclear, and making time for your friends and family was motivation in itself. During the summer, I spent a lot of time at home, but my friends Elana and Destiny forced me out of my house and comfort zone, and showed me that life was not worth wasting.
Life can take on a strange path at times. Who would have thought; I always relied on my grandmother for everything and now she relies on me. I’ve been a strong supporter in helping my grandmother as she recovers from her stroke. The knowledge I’ve gained has led me to help other senior citizens through volunteering with my organization, Glamour Gals. This experience is why I’ve decided that I want to become a Nurse Practitioner, so that I can be of help to others that may not have a support system like my grandmother did in me. The fear of unknowns turned into a fear of what if’s; I took that fear and turned it into a positive to take on challenges in my academic and personal life. I am learning from my missed opportunities, learning it’s impossible to succeed and thrive when you never take chances. I’m thrilled with the strong young woman I’ve turned into, and excited about what the future has in store.