Live Through Change by Isabelle

Live Through Change by Isabelle - March 2019 Scholarship Essay

Isabelle Blosser
Live Through Change
After saying farewell to my high school and to the people who will follow other paths, I embarked on a four-year adventure. I was beginning my first year of college, not feeling the slightest bit prepared for what lie ahead. Meeting new people, living in a bedroom with a stranger, and barely knowing my way around, I felt out of place. The first week of college was a whirlwind. My classes were difficult, the people were different, and the campus appeared to be the size of all of Pennsylvania. I walked to my classes feeling as though I was in a different dimension as eyes were placed on the new freshman that walked the campus.
As I missed home and endured sharing a bedroom in which I was not welcome by my roommate, I called my mom each day for a piece of home. One special phone call with her, my mom had read a quote to me that she had found on Pinterest. “Do something today that your future self will thank you for”. Hearing my mom’s voice speak these words to me, that was the day I chose to make smarter choices for my future. Those words lead me to moving out of my first dorm room and into another. Those words allowed me to gain power in my education by working harder, so that I may use my knowledge to its full potential. Most importantly, however, those words taught me something more about myself. I was taught that I am strong enough to work through college and around the blocks that are placed in my path. I was taught to use my compassion to be kind to the people who did not show me kindness during my first semester. I was also taught how to become independent and rely on myself when times become rough.
As a college student, especially an incoming freshman, I learned that I cannot allow school or people to make me feel less of a person. Although I learned this on my own, my mom taught me that in order for my college experience to reach its full potential, I must do something about it now. “Do something today that your future self will thank you for”. I am now passing on this message to the incoming college freshman. Use your knowledge today and see your results as you walk across the stage at graduation. Be strong and stand up for yourself before allowing people to walk over you. Above all, have the courage to give yourself credit for overcoming the small obstacles, but allow yourself time to acclimate to change.