Secrets to Success During Difficult Challenges by Melanie

Secrets to Success During Difficult Challenges by Melanie - May 2022 Scholarship Essay

In life, there will always be challenges, setbacks, and failures but with darkness there is light. We need to realize that we have the power to shine that light in the dark. We have the power to shift the focus and think about how our obstacles can be fundamental to later success.

I have been facing challenges my whole life. The first challenges I faced started at 3 months old. I was diagnosed with severe eczema. My mom quit her job to stay home with me, but that was just the beginning. By the time I started Kindergarten, I was suffering from a speech development, asthma, and amblyopia, and was hospitalized for one week with RSV and pneumonia. It didn't affect me as much as it would had my mom not stepped up and pulled me out of public school to home school me. I never let these ailments hold me back;. Homeschooling helped me to go above and beyond in my academics without any bullying or struggles. Being homeschooled, I was able to receive one-on-one assistance from my parents, allowing me to be more productive in my academics. For this reason, I was able to excel in my academics, pursue high honors and receive an acceptance into UIW. With homeschool, I was never made to feel different. This was my normal and it was okay. I learned that life will give us circumstances that will sometimes set us apart from others but it's using these circumstances to help better ourselves that is most important.

My most recent challenge and when I felt like my life stood still was the day I found out my father was diagnosed with kidney cancer. We had many loved ones, grandma, grandpa, aunts, and uncles all pass away from cancer. My father has always inspired me. I am the most like my father, and we have always been very close. He is a very smart man and a graduate of TSTC. He inspires and encourages me to excel in everything that I do. My father is our primary source of income in our home, without him, our way of life would change. This impacted me on a new level, watching my parents struggle while my dad was unemployed and fighting cancer motivated me even more to pursue a degree in higher education. There was nothing I can physically do for my father but pray, so I focused on serving others and making a difference where I could. For me, this was in our church community. Growing up in a large family, I have always felt called to serve and lead. Being the oldest of six kids has helped me develop the communication and leadership skills that I would use to make a difference in our church community. I began serving at six years old but through my dad's diagnosis, I began serving in our church nursery helping moms and dads enjoy God's word without distractions. I learned that instead of playing victim during our challenges, it helps to serve others.

Making a difference in other people's lives will bring so much joy. We don't often think about what we are thinking, we put our focus on how we feel. We have to focus on our gaze beyond our situations. When we flip our focus, we will find purpose in our situations which will lead to the learning experiences that we will take with us forever.