The Challenges of Learning by Sofia

The Challenges of Learning by Sofia - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

When I was a young student, I never heard the story of how hard it was to survive college. Now I will share my story with you. The only way to survive an issue is to remember that there is a community out here that supports you.
No one told me that college would be easy. I still thought that I could go through it alone. I did not know how wrong I was until months later. The hardest of facing an obstacle is seeking and accepting the help of others who want to help you. I really believed that I was alone. December morning as I was getting ready for my Saturday class, I thought, “What am I doing with my life, really? What do I want to be in life? I’m not smart enough for that. I would hate to be this. What am I living for?” I found an answer in a Sunday afternoon service, in my Bible “Romans 8:28 New International Version (NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I didn’t need to know the answers right away. I just needed to make sure that for whatever I did along the way would be to the best of my ability.
However, I was being severely bullied by the enemies of learning. I wanted to work hard enough to get the best grades possible. Yet, the steps that I were taking were leading to artificial learning. Actually, I confusing learning with remembering informational facts. It didn’t help that in my first semester I was surrounded by college friends without an inch of integrity. So I kept on feeding the lies of what “reality” really is. My reality was that my parents were hurt in a car crash as my dad was driving my mom back home from her night job. Therefore, I need a job to make up for the income loss. It would take a miracle for me to become a leader at my job. No matter how committed I was to passing my classes, I was still bad at these type of subjects.
In the second semester. I took a class that challenged the was that I took. I was transformed by the realization that everything that I have experienced is just how I wound up being and has nothing to do with what I will be in the future. So, I decided that my future will be nothing like how I have been living it in the past. I started to use the language of the course in my daily life. I started to reach out to people who I know would be able to help me overcome my obstacles in life. I confronted my fears with the help of a community. I learned how to become an authentic person through the encouragement of my new mentors. My boss and coworkers showed me how to be a leader. I stopped complaining and doubting myself over simple things. I realised that we are on this journey together.
I slowly developed a passion for teaching the girls in Girl Scout. I thought that there was nothing better than watching them discover new things about themselves and others. I now understand that it is better to be “out here” with everyone than in anywhere else, isolated. When I am one with the environment I experience freedom, love and moments of pure joy. I am now on a mission to share that with children across New Jersey. I want them to learn how to be confident, leaders, and groundshakers. This will now be too hard now that I have learned how to be a confident leader in the community.