When There Was No Way Out by McKayla

When There Was No Way Out by McKayla - October 2019 Scholarship Essay

When There Was No Way Out
By: McKayla Kenner

When the moments in your life have turned dark and there is no one there to help guide you, what do you do? Life for a teenager today can be tough. We live in an age where social media has become the focal point of all our attention, and by which we measure our level of success. Often, peer pressure will often make each of us feel as if we don’t “measure up”. So, what do you do? What do you do when you feel like there is no way out?
In every dark moment, if you search enough, you will find there is a guiding light awaiting your attention. For me that light was my high school Maker Space teacher, Mrs. Pam Davis. Mrs. Davis is a teacher that gets to know the core of every one of her students. Through care and compassion, she uses that knowledge to encourage each one of her students to unlock a potential that none of us ever knew existed. She creates a safe space for each student to explore and showcase the new unlocked potential she has allowed students to discover within themselves. For students today, where bullying is at an all-time high, she is a light when you feel there is no way out. She was my light, when I thought there was no way out.
I have faced many obstacles. Being born as a “micro preemie” weighing only 1 lb. 10 oz. and diagnosed with two disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder and Auditory Processing (hearing) disorder, I had to work much harder than some for the achievements I have earned. These disabilities created barriers that separated myself from my peers in academic settings. While challenging, and at times seemingly impossible, Mrs. Davis stepped in and lit a fire to encourage me, knowing I could overcome these challenges. She did not allow me to define myself by my disabilities. Instead, she changed my insight on how these differences were my unique abilities to achieved goals I set for myself. Because of this encouragement I am positioned to graduate with my class in the Fall of 2020. I have been accepted in college poised to earn a degree a higher education in fashion design, merchandising, and marketing.