A Failed Endeavor by Mariana

A Failed Endeavor by Mariana - February 2017 Scholarship Essay

In the summer of my 9th grade year, my father was approached at his non-profit organization with a case of a family that had lost their home and in-home law office in a fire. When my father informed me of their case, I was eager to help them in any way I could. I began working diligently to form action groups of volunteers to go to the site and assist with sorting through their papers, belongings, and files. I had organized schedules, shifts, and interchangeable courses of actions when the wife suddenly called it off. I was devastated; I couldn’t understand why I had worked so hard to band people together to help with all their needs when it was all for nothing in the end. The family told my father that they just didn’t want all the attention and were going to seek help elsewhere, essentially dismantling my group of volunteers and me.
Up until that point in my life I hadn’t really experienced much rejection; usually in most of the activities, sports, and other endeavors I pursue, I succeed in and thrive, so I didn’t really understand what I had done wrong. This was the first real time in my life that I actually failed in trying to do the right thing for someone, and it really hurt. In the months that followed I began to realize that maybe it hadn’t been my fault at all that things just didn’t work out; maybe they just weren’t in a place that they were willing to accept my help at the time. I realized that it takes more character to continue to move forward and still try to help as many people as I can than it does to walk away and forget about those in need.
I am never one to give up opportunities to help others because I like knowing that something I had a part in doing made an impact on their lives. This failure helped me to see that even though you can give something your all, it might just not work out in the end, but that’s okay. Eventually the hard work being put in can be applied somewhere else and someone can still benefit in the end, which is all that really matters. I hope that one day I can impact those who have lost things in their lives and help them to change how their situation is unfolding.