The road to being strong by Aariyah

The road to being strong by Aariyah - May 2025 Scholarship Essay

This morning it was a nice and sunny day. It was 99 degrees outside. I went to school that day and it was my first day of senior year. I enjoyed my classes and my teachers are really nice. Also I feel like I've changed in ways like caring what other people say about me because I am a little shy. After I've spent half of my day at school then I had to get ready for work. It was 3:40 PM when I got home from school. The days I don't work I would take a nap but this time I couldn't and that led to stress and there was too much going on in one day. "But back to the story". I got ready to go to work and I kept telling my mom that I was tired and I needed a nap. but she just smiled and said, “You’re almost there, just push through it.” I nodded, even though inside I felt like collapsing. I changed into my work uniform and tried to shake the sleepiness from my body. My shift started at 5:00 PM, and I knew I had to be there early to clock in and get settled. As I walked out the door, the heat hit me again, almost like it hadn't cooled off at all since the morning. The sun was still blazing, and I could already feel sweat forming on my back just from the short walk to the car.
The drive to work was quiet. I didn’t even play music like I usually do. I was just too tired to care. My eyes were heavy at red lights, and I kept thinking about how this year was supposed to be the best one yet in my last year of high school. But now I was questioning if I could really handle everything I had going on. School, work, and trying to keep my mental health in check it all felt like too much at once.
When I got to work, I put on my name tag and forced a smile. Customers came in and out, and I did my best to be polite, but my mind was somewhere else the whole time. I kept thinking about my future college, graduation, everything that was coming at me so fast. It was like life just pressed fast-forward and I wasn’t ready to keep up.
One of my coworkers noticed I looked out of it and asked if I was okay. I told her I was just tired, and she said, “Yeah, the beginning of senior year feels different. You’ll get used to it.” That gave me a little comfort. It reminded me I wasn’t alone in this everyone my age was probably feeling the same way. Trying to juggle responsibilities, expectations, and emotions that change every day.
By the time my shift ended at 9:00 PM, I was completely drained. I walked outside into the cooler night air and just stood there for a second, breathing in and letting it calm me. I finally made it through the day. I got in the car and drove home in silence again, this time feeling a little proud. It hadn’t been easy, but I didn’t give up.
When I got home, my mom had left me a plate of food in the microwave. I ate quietly, then went to my room, changed into pajamas, and collapsed onto my bed. My body was exhausted, but my mind was racing. I thought about how far I’d come, and even though I still felt shy and unsure sometimes, I knew I was growing. Slowly but surely, I was becoming someone stronger, someone who could handle tough days like this one.