The puzzle piece that was never made to fit by Isabella

The puzzle piece that was never made to fit by Isabella - April 2024 Scholarship Essay

I’ve always felt like I was different from my family. My whole life, I was fascinated by the arts. As a little kid, I loved reading about the history of Ancient Greeks and writing wild stories about little girls exploring unknown lands. As the years passed, I grew to love the art of storytelling. I enjoyed interacting with people and hearing stories about their life. It became a passion of mine and I explored it further, which led me to choose a journalism major when I applied to colleges. Even though journalism contrasts the interests of my extended family, I remained diligent and strove for academic excellence in all areas of learning.
My extended family is very analytical and studious, in contrast to my creative side. My grandfather would read thick books concentrating on advanced topics on physics every single day. My uncles and aunts graduated from university with top marks and are successful engineers and architects. My cousins excel in their advanced math and chemistry courses. Whenever they talk about any STEM related topic during family reunions, I sit silently in the corner, trying to understand, but I never could.
Realizing that STEM wasn’t for me, I decided to focus more on my strengths rather than sulking over my weaknesses. I began to start organizing myself. To stay on track, I break my goals into smaller steps and make detailed study plans. It helps me see progress and prevents me from feeling overwhelmed. And with so many distractions, I've learned to create a quiet space to focus, even if it means putting my phone away. Not only did I begin to see a change in my English and Social Studies courses, but I also began to understand my STEM courses too. I realized that I was never made to be like the rest of my STEM focused family, but that didn’t mean that I was dumb. I instead focused on my passions and dared to break the continuous chain of STEM loving people in my family, and I know I will be successful in my future.