Strength Conquers the Nonviable by Maddy

Strength Conquers the Nonviable by Maddy - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

My senior quote would be "Strength doesn't come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't." By Rikki Rogers. This quote conveys a message of inspiration but requires dedication in order for success to occur. This quote also creates a contrast between stereotypical physical strength and mental strength. Many quotes suggest that strength is something that can be awarded, or is awarded at birth, rather than rightfully earned. Throughout the course of my life, I have learned that in fact, you must earn your ability to obtain triumph even in the face of adversity. I would be proud to exhibit this quote under the portrait of my horse and I in my senior year book as it may require my classmates to prepare themselves for reality under the circumstance that soon, our class of 2019 will enter the world as adults.
Throughout my elementary schooling, I strove to challenge myself, eventually to the point where I skipped a grade. At the age of ten I entered middle school and at the age thirteen, I became a freshman in high school. I was young for my initial grade therefore, I was extremely young after skipping a grade and I figured I would drown in the work load. Like my quote states, strength comes from overcoming things you once thought you couldn't, I knew that now I must to enter honors, advanced, and AP classes in order to stand out even more so because I would be in classes 2-3 grade levels above other students my age. Now, as a sixteen year old senior in high school, my hard work is paying off, as I have strengthened my academic ability and maintained a 4.0 GPA. I have also been fully prepared for further education along with having a job, working at a local veterinary clinic, that is a stepping stone along my career path of being a large animal veterinarian technician.
During my freshman year of high school my horse, that I have loved from the age of four, endured a terrible, heart wrenching accident that forever changed his and my life. He bowed his superficial digital flexor tendon in his left front leg at the age of eighteen. He was not given an encouraging diagnosis and we were not assured that he would live past the next seven days where he was in a cast and monitored closely. Once he achieved his week of stationary agony, he began 3 months of stall rest (contained in a 12x12 stall). I was told that he would never heal, much less ever be ridden again, and that it was an easier option to euthanize my best friend. I spent well over four hours per day after and before school walking him and wrapping his legs. His leg began to strengthen and after 4 months, I was back in the saddle and my horse had his life back.
You may ask, why not choose a quote about dedication or perseverance? My answer to that is simply, the reason my horse and I overcame this terrible accident is that we were told that we couldn't strengthen his leg, and that we wouldn't overcome this negative experience. Our dedication and perseverance stemmed from the initial strength within, in order to build external strength.
My entire life has practically been inspired by and written in regards to this quote as it encompasses the way that everyone should focus their energy; on strengthening themselves in order to conquer and achieve goals they never thought they could.