A Life-Changing Experience by Reina

A Life-Changing Experience by Reina - March 2014 Scholarship Essay

We all face situations that impact our lives. The impact, whether large or small, may have a lasting effect on shaping us as individuals. Reflecting back, I am able to recall an experience that was an important factor in shaping who I am and continues to be a force in the person that I’m becoming. The experience that has changed and continues to impact my life was being accelerated from the fifth to the sixth grade.

Being accelerated was a rather lengthy process. It all started in second grade, when my teacher recommended to my parents that they consider advancing me into the next grade level. My parents did not act on this at the time, as they felt I was too young. During that time, I didn’t fully understand the term acceleration, but my mom explained that it meant I would skip a grade. That seemed like a good idea to me!

After a year of watching me mature, my parents decided that acceleration might be a good option because I continuously excelled beyond the standards for my grade level and the work was not challenging enough. Furthermore, the third grade teacher would not provide me with more rigorous assignments. With this in mind, my mom made a formal request for a Student Study Team meeting to discuss acceleration. The school that I was attending denied the request, given their concerns with my young age and thoughts surrounding social development. The team recommended that my parents wait a year to determine whether or not I continued to excel. This did not dissuade my mother though, as she informed me that we would follow up with the request next year.

The following year, in fourth grade, my mom made another formal request to meet and discuss having me accelerated. The result, which became apparent at the meeting, was that the district truly did not believe in accelerating students, especially those who are younger than their respective peers. I completed fourth grade and entered into the fifth grade at the same school, but my mom wasn’t giving up the battle yet. She began to search for private schools in our area. The first private school gave me an assessment on their sixth grade curriculum. After taking the test, and doing extremely well, we received the same response – they didn’t believe in acceleration.

My mom moved on to another private school nearby. Once again, I was given a sixth grade readiness assessment. I passed the test with flying colors. In fact, the teacher who administered the test said she had never seem anyone score so high on that particular assessment. The administrator of the school said that she would accelerate me without hesitation. That was truly a proud moment for me! Shortly after, I transferred from my old school as a fifth grader to the private school as a sixth grader. This was an imperative accomplishment, which continues to remind me that perseverance will prevail.

I must admit that I did have some reservations not knowing what to expect, but I figured if I continued to believe, there’s nothing I could not achieve. It was up to me to maintain my stellar academic record. What makes me exceptionally proud of this experience is that not only did I uphold academic excellence; I was valedictorian of the graduating sixth grade class. It was exhilarating to give the valedictory address knowing that my previous district didn’t believe that I would be successful. That moment set the scholarly path that I continue to walk to date.

My process of acceleration has helped me become a stronger, more determined individual. It has not always been easy being a year or more younger than everyone else, but I hold my ground. My mom’s perseverance has been a prime example for me to follow in all that I do. I remain focused and continuously strive to reach any goal that I set forth. I realize that I’m responsible for my destiny, when given the chance!