Jr. Year by Emily

Jr. Year by Emily - January 2022 Scholarship Essay

From my experience taking an online Latin course, I understood the challenges of learning remotely. I consider myself a hardworking and persistent student, yet the online format still proved difficult to me because there was less contact with the teacher, which led to less dialogue, and made it harder to stay on top of work and process new information. Thus, my first online course, though a beginner’s course, taught me how to successfully navigate remote learning.
Then Covid hit. My school system informed us that we would have to be either hybrid or complete remote learning, and my heart sank. I knew from my experience that students could struggle in either system, which is exactly what happened. Not long into the school year, most students, including many of my friends, began to see diminished academic performance, negative psychological effects, and burnout. I knew that I could not accept this, so after I got my bearings, I took charge of the situation to become a leader to those around me. In order to make this work, I had chosen hybrid so I could better meet deadlines, and have an easier time connecting with teachers. Because many students went online instead, I needed to help them in almost every aspect. For example, one of my friends was forced online because he had to work at his parent’s restaurant, help his little sister with her schoolwork, and had no car, so I stepped up to offer help. I was more than up for the challenge and was happy to use my academic skills and previous experience to help other students. I went in full force facilitating communication with teachers, transporting and providing materials and resources, conducting online tutoring sessions, and relaying dates and deadlines. As the year went on, I became the go-to person for many of my friends if they needed help with anything academic. Together we created this strong system of support that benefited us all. Last year was far from perfect. However, through my contributions, I helped to make this terrible situation just a little better.