It Gets Better! by Michael

It Gets Better! by Michael - April 2021 Scholarship Essay

Five years ago was a difficult time in my life. I had just gotten cut form my school's basketball team. I was devastated! It was not supposed to happen. I had been playing basketball since I was four years old. I was the biggest kid in my grade. How could they not want me?

The night that I was cut, I could not face my parents. I went outside with my basketball and just kept shooting into my driveway basketball hoop. Over and over. I probably took over a thousand shots. This was the first time I was ever rejected. I did not know how to handle it. So, I just kept shooting, day in and day out. At least I had my driveway hoops.

Two months later, my family went on vacation. We returned home to catastrophe. A pipe in our attic had burst and the massive flood that ensued caused the ceilings to collapse. We lost everything and the house was deemed uninhabitable. We were forced to live in a one-room hotel for over four months. The one positive thing about it...it had an outdoor basketball court. I played on it everyday for hours. If I was not in school, I was on the court. I worked so hard on my schoolwork and basketball that year, not knowing if it would pay off, but still needing to do it for myself, to prove to myself that I was worthy.

If I could give myself advice five years ago, it would be, "It gets better!" Work hard and it will pay off. I am happy to say that it did pay off. I made the team as an eighth grader, skipped the freshman team as a ninth grader going directly to junior varsity, was the only sophomore taken on varsity (and earned a starting spot), was selected to the All-Tournament team as a junior, and selected All League as a senior. I was even recruited at the collegiate level and will play for Fairleigh Dickinson University- Florham Campus next year. I am proud of the hard work I put in, I am proud others noticed that I was worthy, and I am proud of the determination and drive that I showed. Now whenever I face adversity, I know that it gets better!