Learning From Life's Difficulties by Jessa

Learning From Life's Difficulties by Jessa - May 2022 Scholarship Essay

In the early morning hours of February 22nd, 2020, I was in the middle of my Sophomore year of high school. I had woken up early and was on my way to school for an early morning gymnastics competition. The day prior was a snowstorm that pushed through our area and I only had my Driver’s license for a short time but, since it was a short drive from my home to my school, I decided to drive myself and not wake my parents.

After leaving my house, just a mile down the road, I lost control of my vehicle on a patch of ice and crashed into the ditch. Rolling it several times. Confused and disoriented, I was able to remove myself from my seatbelt and was able to get out of the vehicle. I luckily was able to flag down a car that was passing by. Thankfully, it just so happened to be my neighbor who was on her way to work. Bruised and sore, I jumped into her car and asked her to take me home since it was less than a minute away. She was able to help me into my house and wake my parents’ where an ambulance was called.

Once I arrived at the emergency room, it was found that I had multiple injuries that ranged from a level 4 liver laceration, severely bruised lungs that required a chest tube, stitches under my eye, and a wrist fracture, as well as a severe concussion. There were a lot of sleepless nights in the hospital. They didn’t allow me any solid food for 24 hours and I was not able to get out of bed and walk for the first 48 hours. Thankfully, my parents were by my side throughout my entire stay, which helped keep my anxiety down which was at an all-time high. There were times I didn’t know what was going on and it made me very scared and helpless. Throughout it all, I spent three nights in the PICU and was then moved to the Pediatrics Unit of the hospital for an additional two nights.

My recovery was long and hard. Not only was I injured and unable to return to school for two weeks, but Covid-19 was also starting to close schools in the state. This meant I was unable to return to school once I was released from the hospital. No school, as well as no sports, and I was unable to return to my job as a restaurant host as the pandemic forced my place of employment to close its doors.

The most difficult part of my ordeal, I had to start remote learning. I was already behind in most classes from being out of school for two weeks due to my accident. I had to take on the challenge of not only healing but being taught a whole new way of learning. The lack of face-to-face with teachers and students proved to be difficult. My grades suffered greatly that year. I had to take summer school classes to get caught up in all the school work that I was behind on. Although I had an amazing support team with my family, and they tried to help me the best they could, my focus seemed to fall as the summer went on.

Starting my Junior year of High School, I was ready to get back into the classroom. I needed the human interaction that I missed so much. Schools were starting to open back up, but not full time, only 2 days a week due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though it was only part-time, I realized that I thrived in the classroom. I knew that I needed to find a balance between in-class learning as well as virtual learning. I set small goals for myself, as well as put a focus on classes that I struggled with. By doing this, I was not only able to bring up my grades in all courses but raise them to the best they have ever been in my high school career. Just by setting small goals for myself, I was able to overcome a difficult struggle and situation that could have affected my chances of attending my college of choice.

Having gone through a traumatic experience at such a young age made me change my way of thinking going forward into my future. I am very lucky to be where I am with no long-term effects or injuries, except a few small scars, which remind me daily to not take anything for granted. My accident has helped me understand that it’s okay to feel a bit overwhelmed by what happened. That falling behind may have been one of the most difficult life experiences to date for me, but I am proud to show how I got back up and proved to myself that with hard work and dedication, I am capable of shining better than before.