On My Knees, On My Feet by Samaria

On My Knees, On My Feet by Samaria - February 2026 Scholarship Essay

Entering high school I was confident in what I thought I knew but I was quickly humbled. I began to doubt myself and just let myself go in school and in my personal life. I started to get low grades, skip classes, and get frustrated with myself and the world around me. No matter how many planners I bought, tutors I met with, or hours I spent studying, I still felt lost. Sophomore year followed suit and at first it started off the same, but one day I was so fed up and exhausted with school I resorted to the last thing that crossed my mind. Prayer. I prayed before I went to sleep, begging God to just let me pass this one physics test. I went to sleep and to be honest I forgot about it the next day. I walked into physics, took the test and got my grade back shortly after. After seeing I passed I realized there was only one thing I did that was different from all the other times. One small difference. That prayer.

At first it was small, praying before big tests or quizzes, then it was before entering classes I found difficult so I could understand and grasp the material, and it even went as far as praying before and after the school day so I could have a good day. Though some don’t believe in prayer or religion my improvement wasn’t something one could ignore. Prayer didn’t magically change my grades overnight, it changed my mindset. I started understanding class, making more friends, connecting more with teachers. Whether others see it as faith or growth, I know that prayer anchored me during a time when I lost. It helped me so much that I started prayer not just for things that were school related but for personal things as well. Those prayers proved successful too as I started getting better opportunities and connections.

Now as time passes it’s a habit I do not intend to break or leave. Prayer has become more than a request for success and it is a reminder that I am not alone in my struggles. As I continue to pursue a career in healthcare, I know there will be long nights, difficult patients, and moments of doubt. But the habit that I’ve built up now in high school will carry me through each of them. I’ll bend my knees and look up to the sky and pray. I may not know what the future has in store for me or what it will look like but my faith is something that I don't doubt that I will have. I have seen the change, others have seen it in me, and most importantly God has given me what I need to move forward. He’ll keep carving my path through every prayer, every beg, every glory. Even with this scholarship, I believe everything that comes in my path is meant for something either for me to earn, learn, or teach from it, because I’ve prayed for it.