Effort Leads To Results by JeanEva

Effort Leads To Results by JeanEva - May 2015 Scholarship Essay

I am a tutor for the Scholar-Athletes at Baylor University. It is perhaps the most cliché phrase ever uttered, but I have learned more from my athletes than I could ever teach them about chemistry, Spanish, or literature. In my time as a tutor for these wonderful students I have learned the most important academic lesson I could have fathomed; no matter where a person begins their education, relentless effort and determination will bring them everything they want for themselves. Wanting leads to effort and effort leads to results.

Football, track and field, equestrian, rugby; I have tutored a motley group of athletes from the world around. Each person brings with them a set of skills that differs from the next and my experience with them has taught me that no skill level is telling of what a student can achieve. This past semester I tutored a student who not only had a Specific Learning Disorder but also a family of his own. The class I tutored him in, Elementary Spanish, is notoriously difficult at Baylor University in an effort to combat the stereotype of the “easy language” course. We met everyday Monday through Thursday after my classes and after his practice. Every day, tired and sleepy-eyed, he would show up five minutes early and lie out his work from the day.

“You’ve got your work cut out for you today,” he would say. At the beginning of the semester it was certainly difficult; he was distraught and was frustrated that it was necessary for him to take a language in the first place. The workload was strenuous and at five days a week, attending class seemed overwhelming on top of football practice. But he never shrunk to the challenge. Everyday he tried. He listened. He attempted a Spanish accent. Because he wanted it and put in a little bit of effort each day, he got better. He would show up to each session a little brighter; “¿Como estás maestra?” became his new greeting. As the semester progressed he would bring more questions to our sessions and by midterms his grade was at an 81. It became difficult for him to maintain this grade as the semester progressed and the material became more difficult but he continued to work hard during our session and he was able to maintain his B and boost his overall grade point average.

I have had many experiences similar to this in different classes that I have met and with the proper encouragement I have seen this lesson taught to me over and over again. Wanting to succeed inspires a person to work hard, and investing time into studies will always lead to success in the classroom.