Finding Myself by Makayla

Finding Myself by Makayla - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”

Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this relatable quote assisted me in maintaining hopeful spirits and setting excellent goals for my future. Throughout the four years of high school, “lonely” was unfortunately one of the several accurate adjectives to describe my experiences.
For instance, while at home, I continue to remain in an unsettling situation since I cannot hold a strong relationship with my family members. During high school, this was definitely a factor in being overwhelmed with loneliness at times. It was as though I could not talk to the people who I was supposed to be able to tell anything to.
Along with living in a house that was never quite a home, I also could not comfortably spend my days at school since I was severely bullied. Almost all four years of high school, I was forced to experience rumors about myself, distrusting friendships, and extreme threats from my peers. Because of this factor, I learned how to trust my instincts and become significantly cautious about those I spend my time with through a difficult way; therefore, I lost a large amount of people who meant an incredible deal.
With the amount of hardships I endured during those years, I turned to a variety of literature to overcome them. Through the discovery of new music, books, and writing for myself, I began to feel encouraged about moving on from a negative situation. The songs that I found on the media tended to be relatable and inspiring. I lost myself in books written by strong novelists, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ayn Rand. Those authors created a new world of opportunities and lessons that were necessary to learn. Reading these books soon provided a higher level of inspiration to write encouraging stories as well.
Through all of these forms of literature, I discovered that life did not always need to be that difficult, and I realized that as humans, we all desire similar objectives; we all want to be loved, wanted, and reach important heights within ourselves. Because literature continues to assist me through the darkest times, it would be beyond spectacular if I could provide that service to others through a written word of my difficulties.