The Middle by Taylor

The Middle by Taylor - November 2023 Scholarship Essay

Our lives are defined by firsts and lasts. First steps, first birthdays, first car. Last day of summer, last day of the week, last words. If you really look at it, most people don’t recognize the middle period, the time spent between milestones. Parents collect hundreds of photos of the first and last days of school. I can’t say the same for everyone, but my mother never lined my siblings and I up on the front porch on a random Wednesday in March. However, as soon as September first rolled around, you knew you would be awkwardly posing by the front door.
I think firsts and lasts hold emotional value, and that’s what makes them so memorable. They highlight how fast you’re growing up, how far you have come, or how far you have left to go. Parents want to hold on to their children, and children want to experience new beginnings.
The incredible part is, even though the first and last day of school are the most memorable, they never hold incredible significance. This sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true. You never learn anything on the first or last day of school. The first day, you meet your classmates and engage in uncomfortable class icebreakers. The last day, you sign yearbooks, say goodbye to your classmates, and get ice cream with your friends. The middle is what’s most important, because it’s where you grow. The middle is where you learn chemistry, write essays, and take exams.
To some, the middle fills a gap. It’s the painfully long weekdays, the never ending assignments, and the emptiness that lingers between the beginning and the end. To others, the middle is what transforms your firsts into your lasts.
For myself, college is the middle. High school is my first taste of freedom, my first real-life experiences. Adulthood is where my education ends, and my career begins. College is where I learn from my highschool years and combine them with new knowledge to prepare myself for my career and life after school. This time on my own will guide me in becoming a valuable member of society.
I want the middle to be recognized too. By all means, I’m not suggesting the firsts and lasts be ignored. Those transitions should be celebrated and cherished. I just want to embrace the middle as well. I want to be able to look back at my firsts and lasts, and remember how the middle shaped who I was. Both academically and emotionally, I will grow and change for, hopefully, the better, and set myself on the right track to a meaningful adulthood and a successful career. Even though it may not feel like anything to remember, the middle contains all the growth in our lives that we need to move forward.