The Eyes of a Child by Liliana

The Eyes of a Child by Liliana - August 2023 Scholarship Essay

My greatest academic achievement occurred 2 years ago. I was in 8th grade. I applied to Ursuline Academy, for high school, and got in. All my life, I was hungry to learn more and be more. I grew up listening to the stories of my mother, and her amazing grades. At my old school, people were dying for school to be over. For a year or two, I caught onto this trend. I thought it was normal to hate school and I was the strange one for wanting to learn more. This conformity set me behind a little, and it’s my only regret in life. However, I don’t let that affect me today.

I get to Ursuline, and it's full of like-minded people. Of course, there are slackers and complainers, like anywhere else. But at Ursuline, there are people with similar ambitions and passions. I had friends at my old school, and plenty of fun. However, Ursuline is full of people willing to go the extra mile in life. There are people who are hungry to get the most out of school. I’m surrounded by supportive people all around me. Even the “popular, mean girls” are kind and passionate people.

Ursuline Academy’s admissions process is more selective and therefore “smarter” people go to Ursuline, as compared to my old school. I used to measure intelligence by grades and numbers. Going to Ursuline Academy forced me to look at intelligence through a different perspective. I have great grades, but there’s always someone with a higher grade. Ursuline taught me that even though there will always be someone with a higher grade or GPA, I have one thing that to this day has been unmatched by anyone I’ve ever met. Ever since I was little I’ve had a passion for life and knowledge. I look at the beauty of the world through the eyes of a child, yearning to know more and to grow into my fullest potential. I have hopes and dreams that I will stop at nothing to achieve, and going to Ursuline Academy is one of the final pieces of the puzzle to achieve my highest potential.

Ursuline Academy has taught me knowledge is power, and intelligence is not a fixed gene or number. I may not be the prodigy my mother once was or the smartest person in the world, but I have a passion to live and learn that is unrivaled by anyone I’ve ever met.