Iowa by Hailey

Iowa by Hailey - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

A New Year's Resolution, or goal, for 2016 that I think would help my academic career is to be more confident. On a day-to-day basis I am not the most confident person, and I feel that if I am able to obtain a state of mind in which I trust all of the actions I perform I will excel in school

I think that this will help my schooling because if I have confidence I will be more willing to approach teachers and other students to reach out for help and learn things that I didn't know before because of not being outgoing or too scared to ask.

I feel that many students today do not reach their full potential in school and life because of the mental barrier that has been created in their mind. If students were really encouraged to ask questions in school by other students, not just teachers, they would truly learn everything they could and not fear being wrong when explaining their logic.

Some things that I believe would help myself, and others, achieve a state of mental well-being are putting themselves "out-there", and being encouraged by others to share their ideas and feelings. Many individuals today are shunned or silenced by their peers because of their personal opinions or beliefs, and because it doesn't agree with what the majority thinks, it is considered wrong. From there an individual will hide away from public confrontation or being in groups for fear of being yelled at or excluded. Although it is now being more encouraged, individuality is sometimes still looked at as a negative in today's society. This is just a societal change that needs to happen and people should realize that because people are different, we have the diverse and interesting world that we have today.

In 2016 I hope to achieve my goals of being more confident by finding more like-minded individuals with whom I can speak with and share ideas. I also hope to try and force myself to speak with others that I don't know when in public or at private engagements. Hopefully these actions will help me be more confident in my schoolwork and allow me to break from the mental and social barrier I have created for myself, and I can learn to my full potential not just in school, but in life.