"Solve for X" by Justin Jude

"Solve for X" by Justin Jude - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

“Solve for x.” I’ve always wanted to solve my own equations, inequalities and world problems while growing up. Still, the variable of x is yet to be solved. Possibly it’s because I have been trying to approach the problem in a way that it was not meant. Although, getting good grades that my parents have always urged are good suggestions, they do not give me the answer. Perhaps being so restricted and told what to do does not give me the ability to learn enough. I have learned that the only way to grow is to experience both in class and outside of it. It is I who determines whether x can have no solution or be infinite. This new year is a new opportunity to help me solve this equation.
The feeling of uncertainty was always present in my daily life. Anything I said or did seemed wrong to everyone around me, including my family. I felt like my parents had a plan already set for me after I finish high school and that trying new things was considered wrong. “You cannot,” or a simple chuckle was the reply I always got when attempting something that was never done before. But how am I going to make myself unique if the only thing I do is play it safe and do things that have already been accomplished? That is when I decided to try things that my parents saw as unnecessary. My parents are so focused on one thing, but they don’t understand that there are other opportunities that the school has to offer, such as sports and clubs. I have been told that extracurricular activities are just a distraction and will only take up my time from getting good grades, but this came in false.
To my parents, it seemed like A=X, where A being getting good grades. To me, it was much more. A+B+C=X; where B being sports, and C being community service. The more I add on, the more it shapes me into a better person. Every extracurricular activity I participated in gave me a new perspective and a new way to add onto the value of X. Ever since my Freshman year, I had planned to focus primarily on getting my head in the books. However, I still remember a time in my Physical Education class when I had to introduce myself and say something that we loved doing. When I introduced myself, I told everyone that I enjoyed running. Through track, I have gained a numerous amount of friends and they all taught me something aside from school: dedication. It amazed me how these runners tried so hard during practice to the point of exhaustion just to improve themselves. Even though track is considered an individual sport, we still work as a team by pushing one another to do better. Another extracurricular activity that developed me into a better person was joining clubs that involved community service.
Community Service taught me a lesson to put service above myself. This concept is new to me because I am the first amongst my siblings to volunteer in community service. Before, I honestly believed that volunteering was only for people who needed hours of evidence for a project. I later learned that taking only a part of my day to contribute to community service changed my perspective of the people in it entirely. I realized how simple it is to help someone and the value of making people smile, knowing that I have made a positive impact on their lives.
If the answer to a problem does not come out to be correct, try something different. It’s just like trial and error; repeatedly trying varied attempts until success. Trying something different is terrifying because we have been so used to doing one thing repeatedly, and that a simple change could turn out to be a catastrophe. However, trying things in a new approach gives me a wide perspective; then X can be anything. The only way for me to experience and grow is the desire to try: to try new things while gaining knowledge. What I want is to live and to live fully: by adding positive experiences, subtracting negative vibes, multiplying my knowledge and helping others by returning what I’ve learned. I am the value of X. I am the sum, the difference, the product and the quotient of this equation that I call life.