Be Unique. Be Different. Be You. by Makenzie

Be Unique. Be Different. Be You. by Makenzie - September 2022 Scholarship Essay

As a high school student there are so many things I have learned and also things I have yet to learn. Out of everything that has happened throughout my life I would honestly tell my past self that she is perfect the way she is and she doesn’t need to change for anybody no matter who they are.
I had spent so many hours thinking, comparing, and crying about myself. I did dance for eight years and was constantly looking at all the really skinny girls and thinking I wasn’t good enough. I would tell eight year old Makenzie that she is an amazing human being. I would say that it does not matter what other people think of you because they can have their own opinions. All that matters is what she thinks of herself. It is okay to love reading and being good at math.
Growing up is not the most fun thing in the entire world. It can be very stressful especially if you don’t have the best support system behind you. And I want to tell her that we got really lucky with our parents and family in general. Don’t be afraid to try new sports and activities that aren't dance. Making friends is easy, but keeping them is that hard part. But, one you find the ones that want to stick around it can make all the difference. You can be different and still fit in and be with the people you want to be with.
That last bullet point I would put under this piece of advice I would tell her is based on a project that I did a long time ago. The project goes like this, “Be Unique, Be different, Be you. The shapes of these letters are different but they make wonderful messages. They’re all different just like different things about you make you YOU and you are wonderful. Society doesn’t control you, you control you and just because you’re different doesn’t make you weird because everyone is different and that just makes you unique, different, you.” As repetitive as it is I would say the underlying message is what really needs to be heard in today’s society.
To bring this all back together my advice for my younger self would be not worry about anybody else’s opinions. I would tell her that she is amazing as she is and it doesn’t matter if people don’t like her or not because she is one of the most amazing people I have ever met.