My Mega Academic Year by La'Reya

My Mega Academic Year by La'Reya - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

My New Year’s resolution is to further excel in my math class by staying after school for tutorials.I was raised to exemplify the phrase “no excuses.” If I really want something, there are no excuses as to why I can’t reach my goals because I know that if I work hard, I can overcome anything. When I was younger, doctors told my mother that I had signs of ADHD. Luckily I had a strong support system who believed in my potential. Education began in my home environment first. My mother educated me and helped me to establish my morals. I am grateful that I had such a strong backbone growing up because if my family had chosen the temporary solution, medication, then I would not have been given the opportunity to progress on my own.
My obstacles and past experiences are something about which I frequently reminisce, because these hardships form my story. I am confident in who I am as a person. I am an African-American woman born in Tacoma, Washington who was raised by a strong, single African-American mother who ensured that no perception of my heritage would stop me from accomplishing everything my heart desired.
Unlike other students whose early days at school are some of their best and most cherished, mine were some of the worst and most frustrating days of my academic career. I faced so many difficulties in school. I felt very incompetent because I could barely grasp simple concepts that my peers seemed to understand without any effort.
From K-3rd grade, I struggled with activities like reading, counting, and memorizing basic information. My ability to grasp these concepts was so terrible that it became clear, beyond any doubt, that I simply could not cope. I was the only one in my grade who could not count to 100. My dad had to record his voice on a tape slowly counting to 100 which I played over and over in an effort to learn my numbers. Once they realized my disabilities, my teachers started calling me off from classes every day. I even had a resource teacher to tutor me every day with the hope that this could make a difference.
Fortunately, I had very supportive parents and teachers who always stood by me, even when I seemed to get it all wrong. They fought to make me feel understood and, with their help, I improved. However, I felt completely ashamed of my condition and struggled against it. At some points, I was overwhelmed. I felt embarrassed and the experience of being taken away from my peers during class made me worry about how I was viewed and therefore distracted me from learning. The pain of being different made me feel unaccepted. No matter how hard my teachers and parents tried, I tried to maintain the status quo, which meant my academic future appear was filled with uncertainty.
When I was in 4th grade, we moved to California. This move marked the turning point in my academic life. Suddenly I presented totally different academic capabilities that no one could explain. Everything had changed for the better. It marked the end of an era when being in school was a burden; now began an era in which classes were the most amazing thing. The new learning environment I found in California totally unlocked my brain. I began to grasp the concept of math and develop my comprehension skills. I began to practice on my own by taking advantage of internet sites that are dedicated to teaching simple math tricks. Since no one there knew the learning difficulties I faced in my previous school, I no longer felt ashamed. This experience made me realize that my fears were nothing but my own psychological creations.
I started seeing life clearer now and I triumphed in everything academic. From middle school up to senior year, I acquired a totally new academic image. I began to study on my own, but I still struggle with simple math. By staying after school for math tutorial or with my English teacher it will only prove to further benefit me. Each year my math courses grow more rigorous. But, if I make an effort to understand every math lesson that is taught this year then I will show great improvement on tests and end of course tests. As I make it an obligation to continue to stay for tutorials and practice tough word problems. I am still working and trying to improve on being able to manage homework time. A lot of young minds have this idea that passing the class is the only thing that matters, but my goal now is to actually understand and learn.