What Would Melvin Do?` by Samantha

What Would Melvin Do?` by Samantha - October 2019 Scholarship Essay

About a year and a half ago, a cheery, yet calm boy joined my AP English class. His name is Melvin and he inspires me to chase my dreams of becoming a doctor simply because of his own hard work to achieve his goals. Melvin is one of three children in his family, who all share a one room apartment about a thirty minute bus ride away from our high school. To help put food on the table, he has to work at Little Caesars.
Yet, his personal struggles has never held him back from what he wants to do with his life. At school, he takes some of the hardest classes there are such as linear algebra and organic chemistry. He volunteers at a research laboratory at Oxnard Community College, even entering science fairs with his own entrepreneur ideas. Melvin recently just applied through QuestBridge to MIT with hopes and needs of a full ride scholarship to his dream university to become a successful entrepreneur one day.
Although his classes and extracurriculars are impressive to me, what inspires me most is his attitude. Every single day, he never fails to show up to class with a cheery smile and to ask how my week has been going. He has an extremely high confidence level, despite setbacks that he has no control over, that I dream of reaching one day. Never have I seen him give up when life got hard. Melvin is one of the most positive people I have ever met.
Every time I doubt my abilities, he continuously encourages my success by reminding me to never give up on myself. Additionally, he assists me with the little things. If I have trouble on a calculus problem, he is more than happy to tutor me. If I need help completely a chemistry lab quickly, he offers to do part of it with me. If I need advice on my college search, he is there to offer his advice.
So, whenever I have a hard day or I think that the world is against me, I think of Melvin. What would Melvin do? Thinking this, I know that I have to keep my head up with a smile and keep pushing on. He is why I spend hours studying for my upcoming exams, why I always offer academic help to anyone who needs it, and why I never stop dreaming of becoming a doctor. I want to be like Melvin, someone who shoots for the stars.