Grinning Graduation by Elizabeth

Grinning Graduation by Elizabeth - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

Greet every challenge with a smile. Leaving positivity on the pages of a yearbook is something most overlook. I personally live by that motto, and especially apply that to every aspect of my life. The benefits of keeping a positive state of mind and smiling often is the best piece of advice I could give any student. I feel that leaving a happy ray of sunshine as a legacy on the yearbook pages perfectly reflects my driven personality.

Mother Teresa preached, "Peace begins with a smile." This wisdom really resonates with me, which is why I believe that the world should never doubt the power of a smile. This simple yet underestimated muscle movement can help turn any blue day around. The left frontal cortex of the human brain is home to happiness. A smile can trigger brain activity and release natural chemicals that cause happiness and mood enhancement. Chances of heart disease and high blood pressure weaken as smiling often helps lower heart rate. In addition to personal health benefits, smiling can also improve individuals social lives.

The universal language recognized worldwide is body language. Smiling can deliver your message of satisfaction across any language barrier. By utilizing the 44 muscles in the human face, success can become within reach. Building relationships can become easier, as people tend to be more trusting of individuals that smile. Attracting positive energy around you will establish friends and connections that could last a life time. Confidence is quality that is built up overtime, and is a trait that so many people around me ask about. Years of hard work, and overcoming obstacles has built up my confident genuine smile.

From kindergarten, I knew I wanted to grow up to become an artist. Creation is my passion. Taking criticism and opinions is apart of being an artist. Acrylic painting has been my medium for the past 6 years. Once I decided in high school that I wanted to be the first person in my family to pursue a college education, my family was thrilled and it was something that everyone around me expected. Once I decided I wanted to go to The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising to work on a Bachelors degree in graphic design, I was faced with lots of doubt around me. Teachers warned me that it was too expensive, too far, and not worth the work. I had to face my challenge and dream with my confidence and smile. I took the risk and have been loving my decision ever since. I face every difficult assignment today with the same enthusiasm I had when I was own support team when applying for school. I am very proud to say that I am currently within my second year of school and have been on the honor roll every quarter, as well as the student body vice president my first year.

If I could leave any words of wisdom behind for high school students I would encourage them to face their challenges with a smile. This could be considered cliché, but this belief has positively driven my life forward. What better than to leave students in a yearbook with a message that reflects hard work, optimism, and drive? Millennials are hustling for success. Our tech savvy generation has achieved heights of success and originality, that most never thought the future would hold. By greeting each challenge with a smile instead of a sigh of negativity, the youth of the world can conquer any challenge with wit and grit.