Failing Made Winning Possible by Rico

Failing Made Winning Possible by Rico - August 2023 Scholarship Essay

Academic achievements usually carry lots of weight despite what most people see, most of the time it's deeper than a surface-level A+ on a test or getting a laminated square cut of paper with your name on it. Theirs a weight of performing well for not only your family and professors but for your own ego that can be a lot of pressure to handle.My biggest achievement in my educational journey was not what most people would probably assume, it wasn't developing better organizational skills to help me get to conquer my academic conquest, it wasn't forming connections that blossomed into study groups, it wasn't even the persistence to bug professors about the loads of questions I took away from the lectures.For me, my freshman year in college was not only oriented around grade chasing but around chasing the sanity of my own thoughts.

Where my success truly came from was within the battle of the mind, my battle with anxiety to be precise. These life-sculpting moments although scary, annoying, and frustrating made me into a stronger version of myself that I didn't know existed. Life before my freshman year of college was fun and adventurous, I never experienced anything quite as traumatic as Anxiety, so when It first struck I didn't know how to respond. It started to take over my mind to the point where I felt I had no control and I would just surrender to it. I was disappointing my family, friends as well as myself. I felt hopeless but decided to get back into reading my Bible and holding onto what little faith I had left in the tank.

Anxiety ruined a lot of my lifestyle when it came to eating food, being secluded in my room, and the memories I missed out on with family, friends, and school. Now although this may not seem educational oriented, I promise it is, anxiety caused a lot of my grades to be affected and taught me more about myself than any book ever has. It showed that although times like these seemed unbearable I was still able to persevere and conquer my mind in order to establish a mental fortress through reading scripture and having faith. It took a lot of failing, lots of missed classes, missed opportunities, and weight loss, but in the end, it made me stronger and supported my defeat against the submissive urges anxiety placed on me.

Even though some battles were lost in the process, it helped me accomplish what I consider to be my greatest achievement; to grow not only academically but to show growth mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually as well. This to me is bigger than any other achievement I have ever won academically, even though my GPA is not where I want it to be right now, I have no doubt that I can flip the script with the knowledge I've learned throughout the trials I've faced this past school year. I truly believe that because of what I've endured nothing can break my spirits, the mindset that I have built through failing will help me win not only in college but in any future goals or endeavors that I face outside in my career field or private life.