I Will Overcome by Ryan

I Will Overcome by Ryan - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

In my junior year of high school, I was enrolled in AP United States History. It was the first AP class I had ever taken and I felt way out of my league. There were kids in my class period that I knew were extremely smart and would be attending schools such as Yale and Oxford. As the semester went on, more and more students dropped out of my period and the pressure to follow them grew.
As the dreaded AP test got closer and closer, the fear of failing it began to overwhelm me. I had a C in the class and was worried this would reflect on the AP test. Yet I realized that fear should not be the reason I fail a test. As I saw the test approaching, I began studying intensively. I spent hours at coffee shops with my nose in a Barron's study book, taking practice tests and learning skills I could apply on my test. This went on for weeks, and just when I was beginning to burn out, test day had arrived.
The morning of my test, I was determined. I was not going to let fear of failure hold me back from doing my best. When I found my spot in the testing room, I was not worried about who was around me or how smart they were. The only thing that was on my mind that morning was putting all my hard work to use. I took my test with determination, self-confidence, and pride. I left the room knowing I did the best I could.
Even though I had struggled the entire year, I ended up making a 4 on the AP test. This is when I learned that it doesn't matter who is around you or how out of place you may feel. All that matters is how willing you are to push yourself academically and how determined you are to see a change happen in your life. Overcoming academic challenges is not about who you’ve been in the past, but who you are willing to be in the future.