I can(t) stay focused! by Jessica

I can(t) stay focused! by Jessica - April 2024 Scholarship Essay

I am not the highest achieving student. But I try my hardest. I tend to lack focus, not because I want to, but because I just do. Nothing is impossible, though, it may feel like it. I struggle so much to keep my eyes to stay in one place, so much that I focus on that than my actual work. But I want to graduate. I want to stay with my friends and make new ones in college. I want to make mi Mamí proud. I want to be someone my little sister can look up to. I want to not be the product of my older siblings failures and my fathers lack of encouragement. My family is my motivation, in a good and bad way. But I know I can do the impossible.
As I said, I am not the highest achieving student. I cant get full 100s on the daily assignments. I cant go far a beyond like others can because the have the time and resources. I have never made it into the top 10 in our class. But I can put my efforts into something I love, and for me thats music. I take the time to learn my songs for the ensembles that i’m in, so why cant I take that time to study? But the thing is I do! I have figured out that if I study efficiently and take the time to understand the material, I have more time to focus on music without worrying about grades.
I break down my study time into a similar session as my practice time. I break down the material, into sections. I then go slow, figure out what i’m missing or don’t understand, and I come up with different ways to figure it out. Its as simple as reading a paragraph and taking key points, or doing the math equations over and over till its right. It’s as simple as learning your states, not as a whole but in small sections of regions, or using the states song. It’s as simple as reading it back to yourself, teaching it like if you were a teacher. And then a break. A time to rest your mind, your body, and breathe. And then I’ll be okay enough to do it again, this time, with a sense of hope.
I get overwhelmed when it comes to school, and like I said, I’ve never been in the top ten. But maybe, one day, I just might be able to, but now I know how to work for myself. Now I know that I can challenge the impossible ideas that are set in front of me.