Not Another Boring Summer by Tayhlor

Not Another Boring Summer by Tayhlor - August 2014 Scholarship Essay

As the second semester of my freshman year came to a close and summer slowly crept upon me, all I could remember were the wise words of an upperclassman: “Whatever you do, do not be that freshman that sits at home all summer with absolutely nothing to do.” These words resonated in my mind as I applied to an internship in my hometown of Dallas, TX at Children’s Medical Center. I was beyond excited to take on such an opportunity. Despite the seemingly endless emails that I had received from my school about internship opportunities, I took a risk and only applied to the internship back home. That risk proved to be detrimental as I did the one thing that the upperclassman told me not to do.

I was struggling to survive finals week. The last few days of my freshman year consisted of studying for tests, writing papers, and working on projects. All I could think about was being able to finally go home and get started on my internship. That was until I received an email from Children’s Medical Center notifying me that I did not get accepted into the internship. Already feeling stressed from my finals, it was as if I did not have enough energy any emotions toward my denial of an opportunity that I was looking forward to. My lack of emotions stemmed from my inability to wrap my head around being told no. Graduating at the top of my class in high school and going on to continue to do well enough academically in college to reach over a 3.0, I was sure that I was going to get the internship. I was so disappointed in myself and constantly referred to myself as a failure both for not getting the internship and passing up other opportunities. I went back and forth between consoling myself with the option of working over the summer and beating myself up for not applying to other internships. The former won and I began to feel excited about the summer again with the option of working and saving up money for the next year to look forward to.

Finally, I made it through finals week and returned home. As I began to settle, I was aggressively on the hunt for a job. I was constantly applying to jobs, going to job fairs, and being interviewed. Slowly, more and more of my friends who returned home shared the excitement of having summer jobs. For some reason, I could not share in the same excitement because no one was hiring me. I sat around my house in a depressed state. Not only did I not get the internship, but I could not even get a simple summer job. Once again, I began to feel like a failure. Here I was, surrounded by friends who were constantly sharing how productive their summers were with me and I had nothing to brag about, but how much sleep and TV I was able to catch up on. Such bragging would have been cool years ago, but for a college student, relaxing at home over the summer is the worst way to spend the summer.

One day, while I was sitting at home watching TV, the idea of going to the gym popped into my mind. I immediately called my best friend, convincing her to go to the gym with me. From that day on, I began my journey to a better me. Exercising daily and cooking healthy meals for my family, I slowly transformed from a sorry, pathetic college student home for the summer to a fit, healthier, and stronger person. I found myself developing an amazing willpower against anything that I considered to be unhealthy for both my body and spirit. I feel great. Had I got that internship, I would not have become the person that I am today. I would not have had time to the achieve the body that I want through daily exercise, eating healthy by taking the time out to cook, and spending time throughout the day planning to make my sophomore year a better one. Before I came home, I told myself that I wanted to become a healthier person and learn how to cook. Changing my lifestyle for the better allowed me to achieve both goals. I guess I am not a failure after all. Despite my initial disappointment at not getting the internship, I can truly say that I am grateful for not getting it. I have become the person that I have wanted to be for years. I can take this summer experience and use it to further develop my potential next year along with continuing to carry out a healthy lifestyle. Although I was the freshman that stayed home and did nothing over the summer, I did do something: I learned. I learned that I am a strong, independent, ambitious person that can do anything that she sets her mind to. I can use this newfound confidence and strength to ensure that I will not spend another summer questioning my potential. Whatever opportunity comes my way next year, I will claim it.