Success Does Occur in Your Comfort Zone by Maya

Success Does Occur in Your Comfort Zone by Maya - May 2014 Scholarship Essay

I slid my thumb across the screen of my phone, giving all my attention to the flood of tweets on my Twitter feed, as the words of my teacher went through one ear and escaped out the other. In between my series of tweets, I looked up and found my teacher, Mrs. Noyes, drawing a circle on the board labeled comfort zone, then she proceeded to draw another circle off in the corner titled success. Reluctantly, I placed my phone on the desk and decided to see where this lesson was headed. She simply stated, "Success doesn't occur in your comfort zone." From that day forward, my outlook on higher education was completely morphed.

Before this lesson I couldn't even fathom college being an option for me. I thought it was only for those financially equipped to pay the hefty cost of admission, talented in sports, or for those who have flawless GPAs. Anytime someone asked me if I planned to go to college I would respond with a phony "yes" to get them off my back, but in my mind I knew I hadn't thought of trying. At the time my outlook on school was to show up and find a friend to ditch with me. I thought it was a waste of time and because of that my grades suffered. By the start of sophomore year I somehow managed to get a 2.8 GPA. However, if my actions didn't change I probably wouldn't have been on track to graduate.

College is not the norm in my family and without a picture of what it looked like to pursue a higher education, I was convinced I didn't have a chance. However, those two circles on the board were a sign of hope. I realized that despite all my excuses, the real obstacle holding me back from college was fear. I was scared of possibly moving away from home, scared of failure, and ultimately scared of success. I learned, often times in life I will be put in situations that are outside of my comfort zone and may seem frightening, yet, the end reward will be worth the risk. I now know that in order to create a better life for myself and my future family, I must pursue a higher education.

College is important to me because I want more for myself. I want to be able to experience life from different worldviews. Being in a classroom with students from various places and backgrounds, and having professors that have extensive knowledge will act as inspiration and an aid to my personal development. In addition, according to the Journal of Blacks and higher education, the national college graduation rate for black students is at a low 42% compared to the 62% graduation rate of white students. Not only is my goal to attend college, but I want to graduate and increase the statistics of black students. I believe college will create a wider range of opportunities for me and aid me in achieving my aspirations: getting a degree in Business Management and eventually running my own company. Although college wasn't originally my focus, I finally came to the consensus that in order to establish a successful life and achieve my goals college is absolutely essential.