Reinforcement Is Essential by Hunter

Reinforcement Is Essential by Hunter - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

My senior yearbook quote is by Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. He said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." This would be my quote because it represents my four years in high school. I am now in my senior year of high school. As a child, I was always shy and never really stood up for myself, in fact, I was always more submissive and preferred to quietly listen rather than respectfully speak.
This quote means to be kind and polite, but always be ready to stand up for yourself if people walk all over you. There is no reason to express anger in a conflict because it will get you nowhere. For me, it represents how in high school, I took a variety of AP classes, the struggles I felt at times and how I realized I could conquer my goals instead of just getting frustrated. I always had a backup plan, or "big stick" like Roosevelt said, when I was overwhelmed with homework or could not possibly get my homework done in the given amount of time.
My whole life I have worked very hard at not just school but at my job too. Ever since I was in high school I have had a job and maintained a 4.0 GPA at the same time. My latest job has lasted two years, working on a grass seed farm. During the summer this job required 12-14 hours a day of driving large agricultural equipment 6 days per week. This job is very hard and exhausting. I have to constantly watch the equipment to make sure it is in good working order and make sure the grass seed that I am harvesting is good quality. This quote by Teddy Roosevelt reminds me of when the equipment breaks and how I have to improvise to make things work. In farming, every second counts in order to get a good yield on the crops.
Another part of this job is also represented by Teddy Roosevelt's quote. I run a seed cleaner and bagging machine. I am in a small, dusty warehouse, all by myself. The machine is very sensitive and it runs very fast. I clean a lot of parts on the machine very 20-30 minutes. It is hard to stay caught up with the machine. Instead of getting frustrated, I found a solution. I decided to let the bags fill up while running to check all of the parts of the machine that needed maintained. By doing this, I am able to keep up with the machine's rapid distribution of seed.
This quote has helped me through my struggles in life so far. It has given me good advice and taught me the importance of having a backup plan. I knew without a doubt that this quote would be my senior quote in the yearbook after all it has done for me.