Mission Possible by Isaac

Mission Possible by Isaac - April 2024 Scholarship Essay

I really didn’t have much going for me in elementary and middle school. I had significant speech and language issues, never being able to say consonant sounds correctly. So, my friend Bradley, was “Badly’. You probably know where I am going with this, I was an easy target for teasing when I spoke. I became quiet and was generally an unhappy kid, at least at school. The speech issue earned me visits with the speech pathologist three times a week, and I absolutely hated it. Those visits made it clear to my peers that I was different, and my self-esteem took a hit. Subsequently in middle school, I topped off my speech issues with a dyslexia diagnosis. Again, I was pulled from the classroom daily to get “special help”. No one wants to be the kid that is different or needs help in middle school. It was deflating. I definitely had some challenges in middle school.
Then I had a growth spurt. I went from being a round boy to a tall boy and things started to change for me. A bit more athletic than most, I started playing school sports, and I had some success. I was the tallest boy on the school basketball team, and surprisingly, I was coordinated enough to jump and grab rebounds. Not only did I experience success on the basketball court, but my legs were also strong, and I could run and leap decent distances in track. By the time I got to high school I was over 6ft tall and had started experiencing nice success in sports, all of which was building back self-esteem and growing confidence that had been whittled away previously.
As a senior I can see how sports played such an interesting and important role in my life. While I had challenges academically, having success in athletics gave me confidence to address school hurdles with some new insight. I found excelling in sports most certainly translated over academically, I gained confidence I needed. I have truly enjoyed soccer, basketball, track, and powerlifting. Those experiences have helped me make a decision about my future career goal, exercise science/sports management. I would like to be the person that can provide support and encouragement to athletes, similar to all the people that invested in me for years. I believe having struggles in learning gives me a unique perspective and a clear mission. In my career, I will have an opportunity to impact those who might be struggling, and I will understand their challenges in overcoming. No doubt, caring people supporting kids and athletes, it's always Misson Possible.