Teachings That Never Leave You by Krystyn

Teachings That Never Leave You by Krystyn - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

Many people come and go in your life. It's the lessons they teach you and the memories they leave behind that mold and shape us into the people we are today. I was fortunate to have two very special teachers in my life that wouldn't give up on me, even though I already had given up on myself.

It was my last year of middle school and everything just seemed to go wrong; one after another, after another. Depression due to personal issues deepened, which made attending school unbearable, then lead to grades slipping downward, which in turn made me ineligible to play the sports I was in. The layers and layers of mounting despair were insufferable to the point of giving up. It was at that point of surrender where these two women swooped in as if they were wonder woman in disguise.

My eighth grade teacher was also my sixth grade teacher. She knew me for some time and watched me progress through out my middle school years since my school went from pre-school to eighth grade. The little things she did showed me her compassion for not only her students, but for our growth in knowledge and power. She worked with me through schoolwork and extra credit and never gave up. She saw beyond my potential and gave me back hope; hope that I can get out of this slump and back on the road to graduating. Almost on the verge of failing eighth grade due to poor attendance and missing schoolwork, it was ultimately my standardized test scores that showed them that I was capable of greater things beyond that of what my current report cards were reflecting. I owe all that sowing of knowledge to her, Mrs. Klemp.

My sports coach was also my fifth grade teacher so we, as well, had prior history. She saw my potential on the court and off the court and sowed into me just as much as Mrs. Klemp did. Mrs. Patterson was my inspirational, motivational backbone throughout that eighth grade year. She pulled me out of my ditch of despair with her uplifting speeches and inspirational words. She took personal time and energy and put it in me. I wasn’t just another student; another number passed on throughout the years. I was someone who mattered to her. She kept me going with her words of encouragement; telling me to keep at my studies because that will qualify me to play my sports again, playing my sports again will make me feel like part of a team again, feeling like part of a team again will get my spirits up again. Although that constant proactive connections she kept instilling in me didn’t get me the grades on the report card I needed to get back onto the court, it still kept me going enough to not give up and still try to make both of these women proud.

Their efforts and compassion touched me in ways that left a scar; a scar of unforgettable, inspirational, over achieving instilment that I will always carry with me. They have not only taught me to never give up, but the importance of education and the value that it has. It is because of them that I will never look at education and the impactful members of its system the same way ever again. It’s because of them that I am applying for this scholarship in pursuit of furthering my education to do something meaningful and memorable with my life, just as they’ve done for me.