Confidence by Ellei

Confidence by Ellei - December 2017 Scholarship Essay

Growing up, confidence wasn't necessarily a something I had a surplus of. As I went from school to school, I noticed that the "smarter" kids walked differently. They walked with their shoulders back and their chin up. It was of no surprise that when I imitated that, not only did I feel better, but my grades as a second grader seemed to improve.

That year, I did a research project on foxes. I worked really hard on it, which is also a key factor in getting a good grade on a school project, but more importantly, when my teacher asked questions about it, I answered them with confidence and full knowledge about that animal. My teacher was very impressed and I received a 100% on it.

From then on, there seemed to be a correlation between all of the 100%'s I received on projects. In all honesty, if I didn't know the answer my teacher was giving, I'd give a vague answer but do it with confidence. My teachers didn't know a difference and I still got a good grade.

Just recently, I had a presentation in Anatomy and Physiology on actinic keratosis. I created an in-depth presentation in one day (I didn't procrastinate, that was the deadline I was given). Despite how nervous I was to present in front of my other intelligent peers, I pushed through this fear and gave a presentation full of confidence. I faced my crowd, explained the precancer thoroughly, and stood with a face that screamed "I know what I'm doing." I got a 45/45 on that project. In my opinion, confidence is the key factor in success, which can relate to far more than just a school project.