Vote For Pedro, Then Vote For Me by Justin

Vote For Pedro, Then Vote For Me by Justin - February 2017 Scholarship Essay

As Henry Ford once said, “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.” During my first few years in secondary school, I was always a good student, earned straight A’s consistently and never had any disciplinary issues. I was also a very shy student, who never seemed to be acknowledged by my teachers or even my fellow students.
At the end of my ninth grade year, the biennial student council presidential election began, and I recognized an opportunity to become better known. From the beginning of my campaign, I started to receive criticism and ridicule for even attempting to run against my competition, who happened to be an older, more experienced and respected upperclassman. Although defeat seemed inevitable, I still wanted to give it my best and do all that I could to get as many votes as possible.
I recognized that my lack of name recognition was a large hurdle in the election, which was resolved by designing posters to put around the school, and convincing the other students that I was capable of handling the responsibilities that came with the presidency. It was at this point that I started to hear from the teachers and students that there was a chance to win, which changed my entire outlook on the election.
My goal turned from just getting my name out there and becoming known to actually winning the election. I continued speaking with students, listening to what they wanted from a president and presenting them with my plan, which helped to relieve any worries of inexperience. Finally, I knew that the task that would win or lose the most votes was the final speech given just a few minutes before the students voted.
I started on this speech over a month before it was given and practiced daily until I could deliver it perfectly. Eventually, that fateful day arose. I was well aware that my winning the presidential election rested on my performance that day. I put on my most proper attire and headed off to school. With my speech in one hand and my hopes in the other, I delivered it to the best of my ability. I received many remarks and compliments from my teachers and students about the professional style of my speech. I achieved the recognition that I had initially sought; however, my mind had only been focused on the end game.
After what seemed to be an eternity, the results came in. I had lost by a measly four votes. I had not realized how much I desired the presidency until it was ripped away from me. The devastation from this defeat almost made me quit my position as a representative to the student council. Instead, I decided to stay and run for treasurer the next year. I learned while running for president, that the main reason that I lost was because some of the students did not have faith in me due to my lack of experience. I improved this next election by emphasizing my experience working with Jostens, our school’s yearbook provider, and handling finances during my two years as Business Administrator for the yearbook. This knowledge allowed me to become elected treasurer. During this term, I became very involved with the school store and with the students.
Finally, the long awaited day came when I was able to run for president again. For this election, I took Henry Ford’s words to heart by starting my campaign as a wiser person. I had more experience, more confidence, and more passion to win. This allowed for a landslide victory and I became student council president in my senior year, a position in which I am still serving. The failure of losing the first election taught me that although hard work and dedication may not pay off in the ways expected, the experience gained throughout is invaluable.