The Power of Perseverance by Savannah

The Power of Perseverance by Savannah - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

Swimming with great white sharks in South Africa, riding elephants in Thailand, and diving in crystal clear water in the Philippines. Sounds amazing, right? This is the life I have been blessed with as a child of a military family and although this lifestyle sounds incredible, it comes with many hardships. Due to my dad’s job, I have moved to seven locations, lived in 12 houses, and experienced countless deployments. To top it all off, I have just moved to Romania for my senior year. Yeah, definitely not how I imagined my last year in high school to turn out.

When my parents told me the news of moving to Romania, my entire world turned upside down. It felt like my jaw was hanging on the floor after this life-changing announcement. Although I have lived overseas in Guam, I have never truly experienced the idea of living outside the United States. Right then, I knew my entire world was going to drastically change in the short period of a couple of months. From the moment I arrived in Bucharest, I felt like a fish out of water, facing deadly and unfamiliar environments all around me. As a self-proclaimed introvert and perfectionist, I felt like I was detached from my old world and left to survive in a foreign country full of new cultures and language barriers. Nonetheless, moving to Romania has been one of the best opportunities for growth in my life. Yes, adapting to language barriers and meeting new people while being uprooted to a new continent was utterly frightening. However, I began to see my life through the lens of an adventure novel, welcoming the unknown that each day would bring! From traveling around Europe to working as a summer intern for the U.S. Embassy in Romania, moving my senior year has shown me how I can adapt to any environment and know that I will never let fear keep me from achieving my full potential. My life began representing a plant blooming and growing through deadly weather and minimal nourishment. Like anything, perseverance has helped me wait out the storm and grow into the hard-working and adaptable person I am today. Moving around the world to enduring year-long deployments without my dad shows me that I continually defy my personal doubts. Because I have proven to myself that I can conquer anything thrown my way, I continually push myself to achieve my academic dreams.

The brain’s endless capabilities amaze me! The simple action of writing this essay deals with countless moving parts in my body, all controlled by one organ. Because of that, I have been interested in studying science in college since the age of six. That being said, my true passion for specifically studying neuroscience was ignited by the guidance of my AP Chemistry teacher, Mr. Moskaluk. He was unlike any teacher I’ve met, constantly pushing his students to never stop asking questions while supporting them whenever he could despite the time of day. He was so passionate about sharing his love for Chemistry, changing my entire view of what the love of learning looks like. He is the reason I understand the meaning of passion and doing everything in your power to make your dreams come true. Because of his influential example, I now use my passion for Neuroscience inside and outside the classroom. With the influential guidance of my AP Chemistry teacher Mr. Moskaluk, my true passion for studying neuroscience was ignited. From being a Teacher’s Assistant for AP Chemistry to creating Crochet Anatomy tutorials on Instagram, I continually desire to use my passion to help students understand basic concepts of Chemistry and Anatomy. Because Mr. Moskaluk believed in my abilities, I have used his support to push myself through strenuous APs and extracurriculars. Through my hard work, I will now be attending my dream school, the College of William and Mary in the fall of 2024 and studying Neuroscience. This became possible because of someone willing to never give up on me.

My unique lifestyle has filled me with incredible opportunities and influential role models that have made me into the person I am today. Through every move, I have persevered through adversity and used it to become stronger. Because of all of this, I will continuously follow my passions, first starting with Neuroscience. No matter what, I will never stop learning and growing!