Smart Cookie by Sarah

Smart Cookie by Sarah - October 2019 Scholarship Essay

Everyone has at least one person that had a great impact on their life. The people that sparked creativity, taught, influenced and inspired all have an impact on a person. Throughout my life, there have been many people that inspired me. These people inspired me to follow my instincts, enjoy life, prepare for adulthood and much more. But as cliché as it sounds, my mom has inspired me the most on an academic level.
There are many moments in my childhood that had a direct influence on my current academic standing. One afternoon as a small child I was helping my mom cook dinner, and she called me a 'smart cookie' after I had successfully completed a task after one try. I strived to continue to be a 'smart cookie' for years after, even until now.
I remember carpooling to kindergarten with a childhood friend. At the end of the day we would race to my mom’s car. On the way home we would race to see who could finish the homework first, which was always one page long and always on a yellow piece of paper. While I didn’t always win the competition, I always found the homework easy. When I finished it, I would show off my yellow paper to my mom. Whenever she congratulated me for my efforts, I would feel accomplished. My desire to do my homework was furthered, and I continued to try my best in school.
My family had traditions concerning grades. My parents were never on top of us children about our grades, and were never strict about school, but if we did well we were rewarded. ‘Well’ was contingent on straight A’s for the quarter, and it was only if we received straight A’s that we were rewarded. In the sixth grade I had straight A’s for all four quarters. My mom was very proud of me, and said that I could choose my prize. I decided on a Kindle. I would later beg her to buy me books on the Kindle for me to read.
My love of reading soared during these years. I asked for books for every birthday and Christmas, and even during random times of the year. While my mom didn’t always buy me the books I wanted, she encouraged me to continue reading. She never reprimanded me for spending the entire day with my nose in a book. I continued to read, which opened my mind to more creativity, and I wanted to learn more. I eventually moved on to advanced classes. I firmly believe that my taking a geometry class in the seventh grade was a direct result of my reading, which was a result of my mother’s influence.
During my senior year of high school, a scholarship opportunity was available to the whole school, and just for our school. I answered the essay prompt with much thought, going over it many times. I had my mom read it so she could give me feedback. She gave me the feedback, and along with it confidence. Later at the Awards Night, I saw my mom sitting in the bleachers, smiling at me, as I accepted my scholarship. I knew that I was still her smart cookie.
A conversation I had with my mom is what led to me going to college. I had decided that I did not want to go, as I no longer found the joy in writing long, seemingly meaningless essays. Math was no longer easy, and the word ‘integral’ had multiple definitions due to my math courses. Although both parents were needed to convince me to go to college, it was my mom that had the final conversation with me. She told me about how wonderful college is. She told me what she wished she would have done differently when she was my age. My mom got me thinking about my future self, and I saw that I would be full of regret if I didn’t follow my mom’s instructions to go to college.
While these moments seem very small and insignificant, they all had an impact on me. They all pushed me to work hard and excel in my areas of study. My mom was an integral part of these tender memories, the driving force of my success. Without her calling me a smart cookie as I attempted the fine art of cooking spaghetti, or opening my mind to the wonders of reading by buying me books, I wouldn’t have worked as hard as I did in school. It is because of my mother that I tried, and did, succeed in all my classes. She was the starting point of my education, which is the most important part of the journey.