Advice Through Example by Paloma

Advice Through Example by Paloma - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

If I could say one word of advice to any student, I would tell him to follow and develop his talent with a passion. With this mantra in mind, Clear Springs High School’s Creative Writing class has helped me develop my passion into a talent, helping me grow as a more confident, humble, honest and considerate person. With these skills and passion I will excel in and out of college, always diligent with my work, confident in it and myself. I have, and will continue, to put as much ardor into my work as I have into my writing. I continue to develop my skill alongside my mind until both attain mastery in their fields, and then continue to develop them in new ways for a true master or student never stops learning, opening new doors to him with every bit of knowledge gained.
I found my passion for writing long before entering Clear Spring’s Creative Writing class, yet it was there I had the opportunity to let my work be peer reviewed and send my pieces to competitions for the chance to become a published writer. I remember my first peer workshop during sophomore year as a stepping stone aiding my transition from a novice writer to being part of a greater body of writers striving for excellence. There was a sense of belonging and support I hadn’t felt before in any other class as classmates gave constructive feedback about a writer’s work, which is part of a writer as much as his soul is, and the author patiently listened to their suggestions. With these workshops I grew more confident showing my work for revision, becoming more accepting to criticism as it served to improve my writing.
Half way through my sophomore year, my creative writing class had to submit one piece to a national competition hosted by the America Library of Poetry where winning entries are published in an anthology. I became a published writer that same year through the competition. My poem was part of the America Library of Poetry’s Accolades. I felt humbled and grateful to my classmates, whose criticism helped my poem shine among thousands of other entries, including their own. The same joy and gratitude would bless me two more times in my junior year upon hearing my two submissions were published not only in the America Library of Poetry’s Eloquence, but also in Creative Communication’s 2014-2016 anthology A Celebration.
To find one’s passion is like finding one’s wings, and to use it and be willing to improve is like practicing in the company of eagles, each flight developing passion into a talent. With enough practice and patience one can ascend to the heavens, forever growing in skill as he learns more from those around him.