Mom's Little Genius by Ivan

Mom's Little Genius by Ivan - August 2022 Scholarship Essay

“He’s a genius,” my mom mentioned to the hair stylist, who was finishing up my haircut. I remember the feeling of slight embarrassment bouncing around my head, asking myself, “Mom, why are you saying these things?” Looking back now, I realize that I shouldn’t be embarrassed by my accomplishments. If I’m a genius to my mom, then I should be proud of that, and live up to those expectations. That’s why for this upcoming school year, one of my main academic goals is to maintain my 5.0 weighted GPA.

All throughout elementary school, and up to today in high school, I’ve only received “A’s” on my report cards, which I’m very proud of as not many students can say they’ve done the same. Adding to the complexity of this achievement, I’ve never taken the easy route to maintain this GPA. I’ve challenged myself by taking harder classes that made me work for this effort. In 5th grade, I was placed in the gifted program at my elementary school. It was the first time my school integrated this program, and only the top students from the grade were put into this project. This program called for students to receive an education that was one grade level higher than their current class, meaning that in 5th grade we’d be receiving 6th grade work. Seeing that the work was much harder, I had to push myself to my limits. It was no longer fun and games; keeping an open and determined mindset was necessary. No distractions could sway my mission of completing the work to the best of my abilities. A testament to my hard work came during my 8th grade year, when my teachers organized a Google meet to announce the valedictorian and salutatorian of the graduating class of 2020.

My algebra teacher’s son had put together a video announcing the picks for these categories, and when the video started, all I could do was sit in anticipation behind my computer screen. Being the valedictorian had never crossed my mind. Yes, I had thought about it once or twice, but it was never a title that I saw as necessary for me to receive, but in that moment, a moment of nervousness, all I could think about was the possibility of me being valedictorian. All those nerves went away as soon as my name flashed across the screen in bright white text under the word, “Valedictorian.” That was the first instance where I felt that I had really accomplished something big, and I couldn’t have felt any prouder, especially since this was the first COVID year, which included many students lowering their work ethic.

Fast-forward to my freshman year of high school, I knew that I wanted to keep challenging myself, so I decided to take AP World History, which was the hardest class I was allowed to take as an incoming freshman. Compared to the other classes I took that year, this was definitely my most difficult, as it was designed to be a college-level class, in which at the end of the class you were required to take an exam that could count towards college-credit as long as you earned a passable score. Due to school still being online that year, I definitely saw some changes in attitude towards work. I tended to space-out during that class, resulting in me missing pieces of information. Even though I could’ve spent the whole year with that attitude, I knew that it wasn’t right. In order to pass the class and get college-credit, I had to continue being determined, just like how I had been during elementary school. With that switch in mindset, I paid more attention to the material being taught and was able to earn a 4/5 on the AP test, which I felt completely satisfied with as most colleges accepted that score.

Continuing into my sophomore year, where the return to in-person school was achieved, I decided to keep taking rigorous classes, resulting in taking AP United States History. I had heard horror stories about this class, claiming that it was miserable and claimed the title of being one of, if not the hardest AP class. Regardless of these claims, I took on the challenge, but I quickly saw that these statements were true. That school year was filled with sleepless nights, trying to finish the week’s reading and notes in order to be prepared for the chapter quiz at the end of the week. I felt so overwhelmed and at times wanted to quit, but there was a flame within me that kept burning and pushing me to keep going. One of my favorite songs to this day is “Casa de Chapa” by Tiago PZK, where the line “Ahora dormimos poco, pero seguimos soñando” is sung. I believe this line captivates my feelings during those times of despair; when I was losing sleep and wanted to quit, but knowing that I had a dream of succeeding, I had to keep going. I’m proud to say that I succeeded, earning a “5” on the AP test and an “A” in the class.

In conclusion, during this upcoming school year, I want to maintain my 5.0 weighted GPA as a symbol of my determination, work ethic, and values, believing I should push myself to be the best version of myself and never give up.