An Academic Experience by Gabriella

An Academic Experience by Gabriella - June 2016 Scholarship Essay

It was at the closing of my senior year in high school that I was able to rise in achievement from an academic obstacle. At my high school, a student must complete three years of a foreign language. A fourth year of the language is optional. Since I enjoyed learning Spanish for three years, I decided to further my education in the language by taking Spanish 4 in my senior year. It was a challenging course, but I maintained a high average.
As finals were approaching, my teacher announced that there would be exemptions, and so I quickly became eager in hope that I would be exempt. For me, being exempt is not just a relief from not having to study, but rather it is a feeling of pride knowing that all my hard work has paid off. In my second year of high school, they introduced the Sociedad Honoraria Hispànica, and I was inducted to become a part of it. Furthermore, in three out of four quarters of my senior I reached and surpassed the needed grade in order to be exempt. However, in one quarter I fell slightly below it. In addition, I am of Italian descent so learning Spanish was challenging, and I thought through my academic success and effort, my teacher would look beyond that one quarter, but she did not. When I found out that I was not exempt, I was disappointed because I felt that all my efforts meant nothing because I was not given the prestige to say that I was exempt. Although, I was upset, I put aside my emotions and arduously studied for my final.
After I completed my test, I learned that everything happens for a reason. Although I didn't realize it while I was studying, I later learned that in that time I was further enhancing myself of the knowledge and culture that the Spanish language has to offer. Furthermore, that is why language is offered in high school, so that students can build an understanding of another country's language and traditions, and through time, we can become well-rounded individuals.