The Preamble by Madison

The Preamble by Madison - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

A long, long time ago, little Madison Near was a fifth grader. And she wasn’t just any fifth grader. She was shy, small, and honestly, a little bit odd. But she was quite the student. Always working hard, doing her assignments on time and never being a distraction in class. She was a good student. Sometimes, though, people were mean. When she did gather the nerve to speak in class, people would poke fun at her because she spoke quietly and timidly. This caused her to slowly but surely, retract even farther into her shell.
Now, I’m sure you have guessed that this student is in fact, me.
At my small elementary school, at the end of fifth grade you had to stand up in front of the class and recite the entire Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. Looking back, it doesn’t seem that big of a challenge. But back then, I was very bad at memorizing things and had an extreme fear of speaking in front of groups of people. But I worked on this project, long and hard, for about two weeks. I remember constantly practicing it in front of my parents, my friends, and even my dog.
When my time came to present, I was ready. I stood up, delivered the Preamble, and sat down proud and relieved. But someone spoke up and said “I didn’t hear anything you just said.” I was so embarrassed that someone had called me out on being quiet, especially in front of the whole class. My teacher told me I had to redo it, so I did. And this time, I yelled it. And not just spoke loudly, like actually yelled. People were stunned. When I had finished going my second time, I asked everybody if they could hear me. They all nodded. I sat back down and my teacher looked at me, smiled, and told me she as proud of me.
The reason I have picked this particular moment in my entire academic career is because it was the first time I had stood up for myself. It was the first time I had felt proud to do something, and knew that I really did put in the work. I got a 100% and then had to confidence in myself that has carried me through junior high, high school and now college.