North Carolina by Emily

North Carolina by Emily - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

As I look back on high school, there are many things I wish I was told before entering those four stressful, but enjoyable years. I learned more than I thought I ever would; not only in my classes but about myself and the world we live in. One piece of advice that I would offer too younger high school students is to learn from your mistakes. Whether they are big or small mistakes, use them to grow and move forward. It was small mistakes that taught me the most. Little hiccups such as not passing my driving test and loosing my starting position on my team have allowed me to grow and better myself.
As I was taking my driving test to get my license, I did not pass the first two times. At the time, I blamed the DMV workers and everyone but myself. I did not take the opportunity to learn from this mistake. I realize now that by me not passing my test meant that I was not ready to be behind the wheel by myself. However, I did learn from that mistake. I have not made the same error I had made during my driving test.
During my freshmen year of high school, I played on the Junior varsity volleyball team. I held a starting position for half of the season. Out of nowhere, my coach stopped starting me. I knew I had been making many mistakes but I didn't know why she had stopped playing me. It turns out that I wasn't being confident in my plays. She wanted me to play the best I could even if that meant making some mistakes. I now realize that she made that decision because I needed to be confident in my playing skills before going in a game and not playing up to my potential. Now I play the best I can even if it causes me to make mistakes. I know that I am not cheating my team or myself.
It is very important for young teenagers to learn from their mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable, everyone makes them. Those who can grow from their mistakes are the ones who become successful. In fact, I believe that making mistakes is the best way to learn. You receive some form of consequence that eventually helps a person to prevent the mistake from happening again.