I Can Only Imagine by Julianne

I Can Only Imagine by Julianne - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

When you imagine yourself four years from now, don’t you want to be proud of the person you will become? Strive to be the kind of person your fourteen-year-old self would be proud of. Do not be afraid to be different, as long as you are yourself. I realize that might be difficult because you are only now figuring out who you are. However, the least high school can do is help you figure out who you do not want to be. Whether you attend a school with thirty people or thirteen hundred people, there are going to be good and bad opportunities everywhere. High school is where you figure out how well you handle pressure.

Try new things, meet new people, and learn to trust yourself to make the right decisions. Socially, friends may pressure you to try drugs or drink alcohol; it is your job to make the right choice. Do not change try to make yourself look cool. People might be your friend one day and judge you the next for no real reason. It is tough, but keep your chin up! Academically, you will feel pressured to either slack off or do so much work you can’t sleep. Remember to make memories! Do what you like to do, even if you get called a bookworm or an overachiever. It does not matter as long as you respect yourself. After all, high school only lasts a few years; your choices impact your whole life, so make some good ones.

Join the tennis team, try out for the school musical; you never know when you will discover a passion. I know I never expected color guard to become such a big part of my life when I tried out for my freshman year. Maybe you’ll try out for something and not make it; at least you tried. Do not make my mistake and wait until the senior year of high school to join student council. It was such a great experience that I regret not running for it earlier. I realized that I was just afraid of what people would say. Learn from my mistakes and do not care what anyone else thinks; this is your high school career we are talking about!