To Breathe or Succeed? by Yarissa

To Breathe or Succeed? by Yarissa - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

“If you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe, you will do just so.” These words resonate in my ears to this day, four years after they were last uttered by Mr. Nguyen himself.
Passionate about giving back to the district that had fostered his growth, Mr. Nguyen gave lessons that were nothing less than compelling and insightful. He was a man of few words. From what I remember, he was one to give a simple look of the eyes that conveyed disapproval and demanded immediate self evaluation.
I will never forget the red pen marks that invaded the first essay I turned in to him in sixth grade; they not only changed my writing, but my life. (I did not know this at that point in time of course.) A harsh grader, Mr. Nguyen did not let a single mistake of mine slip out of sight. To my disbelief, I had to rewrite my whole paper from scratch. After that day, I became determined to hand in a flawless paper week after week. As it turned out, my efforts were in vain. Resentful and discouraged, I came to believe that my goal was impossible. But just when I contemplated giving up, he conferenced with me and openly acknowledged my growth and effort, which I had assumed had been disregarded. In that moment in time, I realized that Mr. Nguyen was not the typical teacher. He saw potential in me and by not explicitly praising me, he challenged me instead and urged me to do the same for my own sake. By not succumbing to my negativity and personal discouragements, I learned to not limit my challenges, but rather to challenge my limits. Now, it is hard to discern what I yearn the most; to breathe or to succeed.