If at first you don't succeed by Malcolm

If at first you don't succeed by Malcolm - February 2023 Scholarship Essay

It was hard to keep the handlebars steady. Before school, I rode to the grocery store and bought three boxes of donuts. Each box cost $2 and contained six donuts. I was struggling to steer my bike uphill but stayed motivated because I had hungry customers waiting in the middle school cafeteria. I sold out by the time the first bell rang and was left with $18 in my pocket and a growing hustle mentality. I tripled my investment and my love for business. Unfortunately, my road to creating a donut empire was cut short. One day, after selling out my biggest order (five boxes), the Dean said my “business” was against school policy. I was frustrated, but within a week, I created a new hustle – tutoring. Students struggling with math paid me $5 to help them with homework. It was a lucrative business for months until my mom found out. She said my efforts might be mistaken as cheating. I was discouraged until another business idea struck me. I made grocery store trips again before school because I charged a $5 fee for delivering prepaid Xbox gift cards. It wasn’t as profitable as the donuts, but gift cards were easier to carry and distribute. I was happy making money to buy things for my brother and I that my mom could not afford.

But these stories aren’t about my dreams to become a business mogul; they are about my resilience. This is the soft skill I feel has the biggest impact on a successful education. Actually, it’s required for a successful life. No one has a perfect life. Even those celebrities who we stalk online have problems. Many of them encountered obstacles on their way to stardom. But they somehow found a way to push past any roadblocks. In school, there will be challenges. There could be a professor who seems out to get you, a course with content you just don’t understand (even with a tutor), or you could feel clueless about choosing a major. And let’s not forget about possible anxiety-inducing social pressures to “fit in” with the right group of friends and study buddies.

Being able to overcome obstacles in school prepares you for the real world after graduation. It’s a great practice ground for rebounding from the unexpected. Even the smartest high school graduates have to adjust to their new collegiate or military environment. My grades are stellar, but I am not naïve enough to think everything in school will go my way. If I get easily discouraged and give up when I receive a low grade or get passed over for an internship, I won’t ever achieve the success I desire. I hope this does not sound like TED Talk cliché. I practice what I preach. I have rebounded from setbacks over and over again.

My biggest obstacle occurred while I was doing what I love… playing football. It’s always been a safe space to block out anything in life that was troubling. Football was the distraction I needed when my parents had domestic disputes and eventually divorced. It provided an emotional outlet and stability when my mom had to move us to another neighborhood, an hour from my friends. So, imagine how destroyed I felt my freshman year at a new school when my knee was dislocated in a game. I was just starting to feel a sense of belonging, but the surgery and physical therapy made me miss the last half of the season. I was deflated but when I was able to stand on my own, I was on the sidelines with crutches. I was showing team support but being on the field was therapeutic for me. Fast-forward to my sophomore year (age 14); I worked hard in the off-season to earn a varsity spot. I was fully healed and practicing with the team when I got injured again. The pain was excruciating. Physically, it was the worst I have ever felt, but I also took an emotional hit once I learned I’d miss my entire sophomore season. After I cried, cursed and recovered from another surgery, I found a way to participate. I went to every game, watched the film and gave feedback wherever I could. In the following years, I became the offensive leader on the team.

Resilience isn’t about being tough and never getting knocked down. Success comes from learning how to get up after being down. Whether faced with a physical or emotional setback, I find a way to persevere because my dreams are too important to give up on.