Stronger Than Before by Omar

Stronger Than Before by Omar - June 2016 Scholarship Essay

One of the toughest academic obstacles I’ve ever had in my time at college was during my second semester when I bit off more than I could chew and became absolutely overwhelmed with work from my five classes and my two jobs. I wanted to excel in school, and in my second semester at Houston Community College I felt that I wasn’t being challenged enough in the four classes I had signed up for, so I resolved to sign up for a fifth class to push myself and get more college credits out of the way quicker. At the same time I was already working about 20 hours per week at my job as a student aid in my college’s Financial Aid Office, and halfway through the semester I stumbled upon a job opening for a pharmacy technician position at a Walmart pharmacy. Deciding to utilize the Pharmacy Technician Certification I received the previous summer I applied on a whim and actually ended up getting the job! Calculating the benefits and drawbacks of both this job, and my job at the Financial Aid Office, I decided to work both jobs simultaneously, while taking five classes, thinking I could easily manage sixteen credit hours’ worth of courses on top of working 50 hours a week at my two jobs. Boy was I wrong.

After having this schedule for a month I became a frayed, stressed out mess. The workload for my classes suddenly doubled, both jobs became more and more demanding of my energy, I hardly had any time to be with my family, much less my friends, and no matter how I seemed to organize my time there simply wasn’t enough hours in the day to do everything that I needed to get done. Despite the intense mental and physical stress I was putting myself I kept stubbornly telling myself I could still keep up this hectic schedule. My friends and family members all suggested I drop a class or quit one of my jobs because they could all see how visibly stressed out I was, and although their advice came from a place of love and care, I resented it. I wanted to be able to prove them wrong and to show them that I could manage this stressful schedule, but most of all I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this. I wanted to prove to myself that I could be an adult and follow through on the goals that I set for myself. It wasn’t until I had a panic attack over all the assignments I knew I wouldn’t have time to finish, and the looming deadlines that were just around the corner, that I finally realized something had to change.

I took a good, hard look at my life and realized that I didn’t have my priorities straight and that I was being unrealistic with the amount of work I could handle. I needed to put my education first, and my work second, as my education was more important. I contemplated with myself and realized I didn’t need to work so much at making money because I was blessed with loving and supportive parents and family members who are able to provide for me while I get my education. With that in mind I finally talked to my bosses and firmly demanded that my hours needed to be reduced, and that if they were not comfortable with this then I would no longer be able to work with them. Thankfully, both of my bosses understood and I was able to cut down my schedule to a more manageable 30 hours per week. With that extra time I focused more on my studies and made sure to spend more time with my family and friends for my well-being. That semester of college was still tough, even after cutting down hours at my jobs, but I doubled down on my time management and managed to pass all five of my classes with straight A’s, while also building a healthy savings from working.

I managed to achieve all my goals that semester, and in doing so I learned that to achieve the goals I set for myself I need to be practical in figuring out how to achieve them. Additionally, I learned the importance of making time for myself to relax and spend time with family and friends. Before this semester I never truly understood that in order to do well in school and work, you need to take some time away from them in order to recharge and come back fresher than before. I also learned that I am a very diligent and hardworking young man. In high school I never felt confident in my academics or my work ethic, but after this semester I learned that I do have the determination and will power to excel in school and in the job market. My ordeal through my second semester of college changed me for the better as I now know that hard work, perseverance, and the amazing support system of friends and family, I can achieve anything I set my mind to.