Rise Up! by Olivia

Rise Up! by Olivia - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

In my junior year of highschool, I sat in my AP English class for two hours every day. Some days the class was bliss, and other days it felt like pure torture. The year passed in a breeze and I ended up passing my AP exam with a 4, all thanks to my amazing teacher. My teacher taught me much more than how to write an analytical essay or how to persuade someone through writing - she taught me how to stand up for myself.
In AP English, you learn how to wright three types of essays: rhetoric, synthesis, and the dreaded argumentative. I consider myself to be an above-average writer, so I thought I could conquer all of the essays with ease. That was not the case. The argumentative essay challenged me like no school work had before. I found myself tip-toeing around the subject, eager not to hurt anyone's feelings. Everytime, my essays would come back with an 80 or below. I was beyond frustrated, so I confronted my teacher. When I told her my grievences, she came to a simple conclusion: I do not like confrontation. She told me that I had to speak my opinions, not only when writing essays but in my everyday conversations. She taught me to not be afraid of speaking my mind in a respectful manner. She taught me to not let everyone walk over me and disregard my opinions. The lesson I learned not only improved my essay scores, but improved my confidence and moral.