Hold my Hand We're in this Together by Jazlyn

Hold my Hand We're in this Together by Jazlyn - September 2019 Scholarship Essay

High school can be one of the best times of a person’s life, but for many the social aspect is overshadowed by the shame they feel over their academic struggles. If I could create any high school extracurricular activity, with no financial limitations, I would create a free program to tutor students who struggle with learning. I spent much of my high school years tutoring my peers in math. It amazed me how different every mind thinks. One day, when I was tutoring a girl in algebra 2, I spent hours trying to help her understand slope intercept form. The only way I could help her understand was by having her walk one step for each “rise” and one step for each “run”. She finally seemed to understand, and we were both ecstatic. The next day she had forgotten everything. We started the process over and continued every day until her test. In low income areas, there aren’t resources to help the student who need that intense one on one help.
High school could be an amazing place if it was made clear that anyone who is willing to work for it can achieve graduation. My sister was the girl who always felt dumb in math class. It ruined her love of school. This type of extracurricular activity would be an amazingly inclusive way of promoting graduation rates and encouraging higher self esteem in students.