Leaving a Legacy by Thaliana

Leaving a Legacy by Thaliana - August 2024 Scholarship Essay

Going to cheerleading practice, while taking dual enrollment classes, and maintaining a 3.4 gpa wasn’t easy, but it was something I did for the sake of my future after high school. Attending a four year university has not only been my long term goal, but a dream that my parents live vicariously through me. Both of them immigrated to the United States later in life, so attending a four year university wasn’t considered a top investment choice, as working was most important. This all being said, my whole life I’ve taken it upon myself to get honor roll and participate in all the internships and school programs possible, making sure that for my own sake, I take every opportunity to do better than my parents. Including internships every summer and spring, dual enrollment classes, four advanced placement classes, sports in the fall and winter, and so much more.
Throughout highschool I took and passed the advanced placement exams for Chemistry, World History, and U.S history. Taking advanced placement and dual enrollment classes has not only served my education and given me a head start for college it’s also deepened my love for the world of business. Something that I’m going to pursue by studying business management at Bentley University, a top school for business and my number one choice for university. Spending summers interning at places like Northeastern University, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and more has left me with experiences that make me feel like I have a foot in the world of business already. Though choosing to write an essay for a college application over hanging out with friends on my only free night wasn’t an easy choice, because of where I’ve landed, it's one I’m glad I made.
Making these choices has given me the ability to reach my next big educational goal; allowing me to pave a path for those trudging behind me. Though I am an only child I’m the oldest out of all my cousins and the first to attend a four year university. Having already excelled in high school, even receiving chords at graduation, I am now able to leave a legacy of excellence by guiding my younger cousins towards making better choices for their future, for there are many things I wish I knew when I first started high school. I’ll be reassuring them that while they should always be trying their hardest it’s okay if they’re not the best in every subject, staying after school doesn’t mean they’re dumb it means they need more help, just because something, whether it’s a subject or internship, doesn’t come easy doesn’t mean it’s not at all for you. These are just a few things, but there is so much more guidance I’ll give while my cousins navigate high school, and even more once I excel at Bentley. Knowing that I was able to uplift not only myself, but those who look up to me, through my education is my next big educational goal.