Mahatma Gandhi Said it Best! by Kendra

Mahatma Gandhi Said it Best! by Kendra - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

To begin to describe my academically challenging situation, Mahatma Gandhi said it best, “Satisfaction does not come with achievement but with effort. Full effort is full victory”. A perfect example of this “full victory” can be described in my math choices at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. Although proficient in math, I found advanced level math classes too fast paced and difficult and was recommended coming into freshman year for a college prep, level 2 Geometry course. Not knowing what to expect, but giving it my best, I excelled and received an A for the year. This, however, did not bring the satisfaction I had hoped. “Do you think I can do it, Mom? What if I should be in a harder math course? What happens if I don’t do well moving up a level? What happens if I don’t succeed? These questions and more swirled around my head coming into the course selection process for sophomore year. Perseverance conquered self-doubt, however, and I opted to take the more difficult route of moving up a level to Algebra II-Honors.

From the very first day of class, Ms. Idelson, my teacher, warned me that this would be quite challenging. I just saw it as putting in more effort and more hard work than ever before. Free blocks spent with Ms. Idelson every week, Café Math (the school's math resource center) when she wasn’t available, nights and weekends working through problems, answer sheets, and Khan Academy supplements, described my sophomore year. These extraordinary efforts manifested into a solid and fully acceptable B for the year.

You would think that when I was asked about my academic history at L-S by my high school administrators, college admissions' counselors, and even my parents, I would reminisce and boast about the many A’s and A+’s I had received to achieve an overall GPA of 3.8 (out of 4.0), but I don't. What is still prominent in my mind and what I am proudest of is that B in Algebra II-Honors, my sophomore year. This is the B I worked so hard for – this was my "full victory". Mahatma Gandhi certainly said it best and I will forever embrace going that extra mile even when the path is unsure and seems difficult.

On a post note this senior year, I applied and was accepted into the Teaching Assistant program at L-S high school. As luck would have it, I was assigned none other than Algebra II with Ms. Idelson for her sophomore class! I can only say that I hopefully inspired other students to do their best - all to achieve their “full victories”.