Individually Reach for Success by Kristine

Individually Reach for Success by Kristine - January 2025 Scholarship Essay

When we think about mentors, sometimes one particular person comes to mind. However, multiple people have shaped my educational journey. Some have pointed me in a positive direction, and some have torn me down to the point where I really needed to grow as a scholar. I have had multiple mentors throughout my quest for knowledge; grade school teachers, coworkers, and even advisors.

In grade school, I had a teacher named Ms. Diamond. She always cared so much for us to the point where she even allowed us to take a field trip to her house on the lake. She made apple cider and had all kinds of snacks. This was in 4th grade, and I never had a teacher invite me to their house; the whole class was there, and her husband even talked to us about careers. He was a judge and based on their house, he knew what he was doing. He stressed the importance of going to college so that was part of my plan.

My plan also included working while I continued my education so coworkers like Mr. Reynolds really helped. I had coworkers help me learn how to teach and offer resources and I even had some guide me to take leadership roles. Education is all about looking out for students of the future and my role as an AVID Co-coordinator helped me make sure that students knew that college could be in the cards for them. The AVID Coordinator, Mr. Reynolds, decided he wanted my help and steered me to become a leader even when I am more comfortable in the background. He pushed me to come out of my comfort zone so I could really help students and speak up on their behalf.

Advisors should usually have your best interests at heart, but some only pretend. I had an advisor in graduate school say that he wanted to help me, but then he dropped me after he didn’t like the direction my research was changing to after he asked me about changing topics. He once said he would never drop me as a student, but he went back on that word which broke me. I had to find a new advisor and start over with my writing process for my dissertation. I still grew from this situation and saw that not all people are to be trusted in education. This is the opposite of what I thought since education has always meant helping students become their best. This knowledge has helped me push myself to continue to fight for myself even when no one else is standing behind me. I try to instill this in my students, so they know they have to first help themselves to succeed.

Ultimately, mentors can push us in positive or negative ways; however, we still grow as scholars. Elementary school teachers, coworkers, and advisors help all of us on our path to success, but it is up to the individual to reach out and fully take that success forward in life.