There Still Exists A Place For Old-Fashioned Persistence by Nicholas

There Still Exists A Place For Old-Fashioned Persistence by Nicholas - December 2018 Scholarship Essay

Having a clear vision of your purpose and being tunnel-visioned in seeing that purpose come to fruition is at the top of my list when it comes to a quality I would want a prospective recipient to possess. I am by no means anywhere near a Nobel Prize winner, but one thing I think I do share in common with past winners is that I saw a deeper purpose – an actual meaning – for my life and I am and have been incredibly focused on seeing that purpose fulfilled. Being persistent and dedicated to an end goal encompasses a collection of admirable qualities and that is why I wish for the recipient to possess these in particular. Being dedicated to a particular goal means that obstacles are powerless against your determination; one thing I have come to realize in my time on this earth thus far is that for every good intention you have, there are 10 stumbling blocks standing in your way. Those stumbling blocks, however, once overcome, makes the victory all the more rewarding.

Secondly, albeit an unconventional answer, I would very much so want the individual to have had some hardship through which they have triumphed. As someone who has overcome quite a few hardships and been made a better person because of them, I think it is a vital step in becoming impenetrable to the curveballs that life can and will throw at you. It builds character and it builds empathy for the next person coming along who may share those exact same struggles. It reinforces the message that “…if I can go through it and come out on top, you can as well.”

These are but two of the qualities I would hope a future Nobel Prize recipient possesses, but they are unique qualities in that they both encompass many other qualities that collectively work together.