The Greatest Feeling Ever by Sharif

The Greatest Feeling Ever by Sharif - March 2014 Scholarship Essay

My greatest academic achievement would have to be graduating high school. This achievement is rare in my neighborhood of north Philadelphia. While attending Roberts Vaux High, one of many low performing high schools in Philadelphia; I noticed many of my classmates slowly drop out of school or get arrested before finishing. I often feared that I would be next. I dreaded the thought of myself falling in between the cracks of failure. I realized that all of my peers were socially constructed to think that school was not cool, or boring. In the ninth grade I did not take education seriously because no one around me took it seriously. I found myself doing the bare minimum; enough to pass but not too much to actually care.

Tenth grade year many of my ninth grade friends either got held back, arrested, or dropped out. I began to think that not completing high school was “normal”. My family history of completing high school was not the biggest mind changer. My mom dropped out of school in 11th grade due to emotional stress, my father dropped out in the 8th grade due to arrests and drugs. The closest thing to high school completion in my family was my older and much smarter sister. My sister was two grades higher than me, and loved school. I often thought she was weird because no one of my generation actually expressed loving school. She received straight A’s and never missed a day.

While my biggest influences was those who cut class, dropped out, or did not even attempt to do school work. The thoughts of me not completing high school became frequent. By the time eleventh grade rolled around my sister had already graduated top of her class, but my ninth grade classmates seemed to vanish. I began to realize how close I was to finishing and decided to take on sports to motivate myself during school. Sports worked for a little while but friends continued to be a negative influence.

Senior year came and I knew I was almost there. The one hundred and fifty students who started high school at Vaux with me quickly turned to sixty-three. I was one of the very few who were going to finish high school on time. When graduation finally came hearing my name called and walking across the stage to the screaming and shouting of my family, friend, and fellow graduates cheering me on was by far the best feeling ever. Therefore making that my greatest academic achievement ever. I Know I can not graduate high school again, so I am shooting for a greater academic achievement; graduating college. Just so I can continue to make my mother proud and motivate others to achieve what I was lucky enough to achieve.