"From Insecurity to Purpose" by Shayla

"From Insecurity to Purpose" by Shayla - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I Could Give One Piece of Advice to My Past Self.
If I could go back and talk to my younger self, even just for a few minutes, I’d tell her this: You don’t have to change yourself to be accepted. Stop trying to fit in with people who barely even know you.
In high school, I spent way too much time worrying about my weight gain and how others saw me. I let those insecurities convince me I didn’t really belong anywhere. I kept comparing myself to people who, honestly, probably didn’t even think twice about me. And because of that, I missed out on truly appreciating who I was becoming. I let the way I looked define how I felt, and I let that pressure distract me from the things that really mattered, like believing in myself and focusing on my future.
If I could talk to that version of me now, I’d give her a hug first. Then I’d say, You are more than your body. You’re more than the labels or the silence from people you wish noticed you. You’re smart, you're caring, and you have a future ahead of you that is so much brighter than you think right now.
This year, I’m heading to Radford University, and I’m starting my journey to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. I’ve always had a heart for helping others, especially kids, and I know this is where I’m meant to be. It took time for me to believe in myself again—to see that I’m capable of big things, no matter what anyone else might have thought back then.
Looking back, I wish I hadn’t been so hard on myself. I wish I could’ve told myself to tune out the noise and trust my own voice. Because no matter what people said or didn’t say, none of that decided my future, I did.
So here’s what I’ve learned: focus on the things that build you up. Be kind to yourself. And don’t ever let someone else’s opinions keep you from becoming exactly who you’re meant to be.