The Awesomeness of Stubborness by Megan

The Awesomeness of Stubborness by Megan - August 2016 Scholarship Essay

My mom always tells me that I am a very stubborn person. When she first told me that, I was a little offended. Being stubborn had a bad connotation in my mind. However, the more I thought about it the more I realized that being stubborn can be an awesome thing. It means that I am strong-willed and dedicated. I am focused and try my best to persevere through life’s challenges. One of these challenges presented itself to me before I even reached high school, coming up when I was in eighth grade. This challenge was to try to complete a level of Spanish before I reached high school.

My eighth grade Spanish teacher noticed that I had an interest in Spanish, so she offered to tutor me before school to speed up the learning process. She told me that since my family is Cuban, I could practice what she taught me at home with my relatives. She believed in me and gave me the push I needed to set a goal for myself. I decided I would try to test out of Spanish 1 upon entering high school, which had not been done in my school district in years. I was very determined and continued to study through the summer. By the time I started ninth grade, I had convinced the Spanish teachers to allow me to enter the Spanish program at the second level. This proved to be very challenging. Sometimes, my grade started to slip, but I refused to give up. After all, I am nothing if not stubborn. I worked hard and was eventually able to catch up with the rest of the class, finishing off each quarter with an A. It was definitely the class that I had studied the most for up to that point, but it was also the most rewarding. I learned some excellent study techniques that I still use today. Reaching my goal gave me a sense of pride and accomplishment. I was proud of my efforts and ready to keep learning. I continued in the Spanish program until I completed Spanish 4 my junior year, at which point I began to consider myself fluent. Learning what a wonderful thing language can be inspired me to explore the possibilities that were open to me. I decided to continue to study Spanish in college and am almost done with my Spanish minor at Liberty University. Next summer, I hope to study abroad in Guatemala to refine my skills, experience a new culture, and complete my minor.

I learned from early on that if you want to be successful, you must work for it. Success is not handed to you on a silver platter. If you want something, you need to be dedicated and work hard for it. You should strive to be the best that you can be at what you love. Persevere through the roadblocks that you will encounter, and you will truly be successful.