Perseverance by Melissa

Perseverance by Melissa - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

I am the product of every teacher that I have encountered in my life. The most important lesson that I have taken from each is perseverance. According to Dictionary.com, the verb to persevere is “to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.” I suppose, though I recognized the lesson early I life, it never was truly applicable until this year.
As a young child, my family, my first teachers educated me in the lesson of perseverance in simple things that they could encourage me to overcome by simply saying “you can do it” or “I believe in you”, especially when lost a competition. The lesson to work harder so that a loss wouldn’t happen again was instilled. However, I never truly recognized this as perseverance; it simply was the motto of dusting yourself off if you fall, or walking it off if you were hurt.
When I became a young adult, I experienced my first recognizable bout of bigotry and discrimination by a teacher that thought she would break me, but my mother saw the lesson in the incident and knew that in my life I would face it again and needed to learn the proper way to deal with it, so she asked what I wanted to do about not only the incident with the teacher, but the commitment I made to the organization. Upon contemplation, I decided that I needed to speak to my principal regarding the issue, by taking the proper channels (making an appointment, creating a journal of issues that made me believe that I was experiencing racism, writing an itinerary of items to discuss with the principal including actions I would like in response to the meeting). After listening to me and agreeing with my surmise of the incident, my principal asked me whether or not I wanted to continue representing the school. I decided I wanted to continue to compete in forensics, not for her (despite her formal apology), or the team, but for myself because I loved performing. The principal’s encouraging words regarding the occurrence continue to resonate with me even twenty years after they were uttered. He said not to ever let anyone make me feel inferior and to always pursue my desires and overcome adversity.
As a Teacher, one can only hope that the lessons we impart on our students help them in their life, but the perseverance lesson from my teachers was put to the test in 2015-2016. In this year my family and I added a new addition to our family, despite my disabling condition causing my four month bedridden stay in the hospital. My incapacitation did not allow me to complete my coursework, thus I would receive a grade of an “F” for both classes since an incomplete could not be rendered because of the time frame. I was at a crossroad to stay in the doctoral program and retake those two classes, as well as take two more to be “All But Dissertation” (ABD) or quit. I seriously contemplated quitting, especially since I would not be receiving financial aid. I was experiencing the burnout that everyone speaks about that I had never experienced before. Family, financial hardship, bills, illness, family deaths, job change, and school took its toll on me. Then I remembered something that one of my professors said in the beginning of the program that I didn’t remember until I was at my lowest breaking point. He said, “It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to complete this degree. No one will ever ask you in a job interview how long it took you to attain this degree. They will simply address you as Doctor and ask about your dissertation topic and cognate expertise.”
My memory drew from an experience that seemed menial at the time to use as the encouragement I needed to provide for myself to continue with this goal, because this goal is mine! I have to dust myself off, get up and finish the race because I know I can… and although I didn’t see it at the time of my quitting point, I have a cheering section waiting for me at the finish line. My teachers, both formal and informal have had a way of encouraging and reassuring this student to accomplish her goals, even if they don’t know it.
Currently, I have finished all my coursework. Now, all I need is the funds to finish my dissertation in progress class that will allow me to attain credit for finishing my dissertation in educational leadership. I maintain my purpose, despite the obstacles I have faced and may face in the future because I will no longer be discouraged. I will continue steadfast... PERSEVERE.