Don't Be Afraid by Izuchukwu

Don't Be Afraid by Izuchukwu - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I had a chance to give advice to my past self there would be too much to say, but the main piece of advice I would say is don't let fear control you. Looking back to when I was younger there were so many things that I didn't do or try because of fear. Not literal fear, but the fear of how people will look at me, the fear of how bad I could fail, or the fear of the worst possible outcome. Back then I remember how shy and introverted I was which led me to stay in my comfort zone all the time when it came to anything. It made me feel a false sense of comfort that was really me limiting myself. Instead of trying to meet new people I would stay to myself, instead being assertive I let myself shrivel up and allow people to walk all over me. Today I am much better than I was because I realized one simple thing that changed my whole perspective. It’s okay to fail, it's okay to be rejected, it's okay to make a mistake that seems embarrassing. These moments may feel like low-lights, but without these moments I wouldn’t have been able to learn how to be more confident in myself and know who I am. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - Franklin D. Roosevelt