Overcoming Adversity and the Skill that Helped Me Do It by Yadira

Overcoming Adversity and the Skill that Helped Me Do It by Yadira - May 2022 Scholarship Essay

At age six, I went to live in Mexico with my mother and sister for nearly 2 years. I only spoke Spanish while living in Mexico and when I came back to the United States. I had to enroll in a school where the majority of my peers and teachers only spoke English.
Communicating with others was already difficult because I was an introverted kid. Imagine being shy and not speaking the same language as others. I felt frustrated that I could not understand or communicate with teachers or peers. Speaking and understanding English were vital in every lesson and subject, making school difficult. I cried from frustration and I still get emotional remembering how the experience made me feel.
However, my parents helped me study little by little. For example, my parents would put on movies and shows in English for me. They also helped by sitting next to me every night to practice my reading. After knowing a bit more English I began to practice conversing with my dad because he was my only family member that spoke fluent English. So, practicing English was limited because I only saw him in the evenings and weekends because he worked nonstop. Soon, I became proficient in English.
In elementary school I still needed extra practice so I went to tutoring afterschool. By middle school I entered honors classes and summer classes which were challenging but beneficial. When I arrived at high school I took as many honors classes they had to offer. Overcoming this barrier was a big step for me academically because with a language barrier I would not be able to excel in the other subjects.
The skill I gained from this particular experience was resilience despite feeling alienated and frustrated. I not only learned to communicate with others but I was able to excel in the English language. Some may say resilience is something you are born with but it simply is not, resilience is a skill that is learned and grows over time.