Trumping Trigonometry by Stephanie

Trumping Trigonometry by Stephanie - March 2014 Scholarship Essay

As a rule it seems, creative minds are judged to be poor at math and science and for the longest time, I couldn't help but agree. While math may come easy to some, it has always been a struggle for me-- in fact, I failed my first year of Algebra I and had to retake it while I excelled in writing and art. That was definitely not my proudest time in academia, but it's important to acknowledge your past when trying to improve yourself for the future.

After a rocky beginning, I began challenging myself in ways that would help me pass Trigonometry with distinction, starting at home. For that year, I did all of the shopping for my family of five, was responsible for cooking dinner 5 nights a week. Consequently, I also spent my time after enjoying a quiet dinner with my family working on Trigonometry late into the night, rather than playing video games or going to the movies. The other two nights were all mine as they weren't school nights, though I made a point to spend at least 2 hours on math during the day to stay on top of things.

As a result, I really started getting excited about my homework, which is something I never thought was possible. Now when someone tells me they're “bad at math”, I tell them about how my success rode on the tracks of great habits and responsibility-- the rest follows!