Break-through by Evan

Break-through by Evan - March 2023 Scholarship Essay

Having a summer internship at Stanford was an exciting achievement for me. I was proud to be there but nervous about how I would perform. My mentor was compiling a database of California wildfires since 2000 and assigned me the task of inputting the data for over 500 of these fires using the programming language R. I was nervous since I wasn't sure if I could handle this new environment and do work being used on the doctoral level.
The first week, I tried to complete my work after returning home by reviewing the notes I took while my mentor gave instructions. Since all the other interns there seemed to understand R, I tried to blend in and refrained from asking questions to avoid standing out. However, I made mistakes and then overlooked them, hoping nobody would notice. I was too nervous and self-conscious to ask my mentor questions or admit that I was confused.
Eventually, my mentor did notice my difficulties. He met with me and assured me that it was alright to ask questions and showed that I was seeking a deeper level of understanding. His encouragement and understanding gave me greater confidence. I noticed that I started working more quickly after I began to ask my mentor questions. I also began to ask my peers questions instead of remaining silent for fear of being judged. Asking questions helped me comprehend things better, and I realized how much fun coding was. Learning to ask for help and not being embarrassed to ask questions opened up a new world of possibilities for me. By shielding myself from embarrassment, I had also blocked my chances of growth. A little bit of encouragement and compassion was all it took for me to overcome this hurdle.
In those two months, I asked lots of questions and enjoyed working alongside my teammates. Now, whenever I encounter a problem or setback, I am eager to talk about it with peers or teachers to figure out a strategy to get through it. This lesson in growth was an important breakthrough for me.