Present Your Best Foot Forward by Isabella

Present Your Best Foot Forward by Isabella - May 2021 Scholarship Essay

An academic challenge of mine was my performance in public speaking events. The anxiety and adrenaline rush during presentations, reading in front of the class, or even talking with my friends caused an adrenaline crash immediately afterwards. This adrenaline crash usually results in a frantic release of emotions, likely displayed as tearful or small anxiety attacks. Along with the adrenaline crash comes a feeling of failure, no matter how well I did on the presentation. I felt as though my nervousness, anxiety, and crying were signs of weakness and needed to be hidden or stopped since I was “overreacting”. This intense feeling of embarrassment and fear motivated me to learn how to cope with high-stress situations. I learned how to be more comfortable in front of others, using different breathing techniques, muscle tensing oscillation, overpreperation, implemented humor, etc. to keep myself as calm and stable as possible. While this made the situation slightly better, there was much more improvement to be made. I regularly went to the school counselor to get her opinion on situations, talked with teachers to make sure they knew what to expect or how to handle my reactions, and was finally able to attend psychological therapy sessions. Therapy was an invaluable source of comfort and improvement, especially in the first few months. I had never had this type of relationship, especially in a professional setting. I could explain and vent all of my fears and troubles to a person, and they would try their best to actually solve the problem with my best interest in mind.
What I have learned from my early high school struggles, I then successfully applied in a recent speech for the National Honor Society. I stood in front of more than one hundred people to deliver an induction speech for one of my closest friends, using the coping skills of humor, breathing exercises, and distraction. The confidence I gained from the NHS induction influenced my decision to deliver a Valedictorian speech at my high school graduation. My family, my friends, and- quite frankly- myself, are impressed and proud of my progress. The current day Isabella Hartman is a more confident, optimistic, and determined individual who has gained a skill set to overcome hardships in her future.