My Educational Journey by Kyle

My Educational Journey by Kyle - January 2025 Scholarship Essay

In my early school years, I was a victim of intense verbal and physical abuse, resulting in severe depression and a lack of learning. I spent most of my time during the school day in the office, with my parents and another student's parents, about the events of the school day and what needs to change moving forward. This ultimately caused me to transfer schools.

Katie Welter was one of the teachers at my new school. She taught math and also happened to be one of my friend’s mother. She always treated me with kindness. My first days at the new school were extremely difficult and stressful. All of the instructional material was new to me, and because of my past experiences, I was already behind my peers. At the end of each day, my friends and I would gather in Mrs. Welter's room and talk about the day. Everyone else talked about their classes and how their day went, but I waited until everyone left so I could talk to Mrs. Welter privately. She reassured me that everything would be okay, and told me that she would work with me through all my classes every day until I understood each concept. As I was struggling to meet new friends and felt like an outcast, Mrs. Welter invited me to eat lunch with her, to talk about problems or stress I was having with classes.

No matter how much I struggled mentally, Mrs. Welter would always find the perfect balance between pushing me to do more, and not overdoing it. She prepared me for my next school and guided me to resources to use to be successful. Mrs. Welter has truly impacted me greatly and lifted me back up off my feet after my school struggles. She taught me everything I needed to know about my classes, took time out of her day to help me with my educational and personal problems, and gave me a feeling of hope when I thought all was lost.