My struggles by Nicholas

My struggles by Nicholas - December 2024 Scholarship Essay

My junior year of high school was a pivotal life event that prepared me for college. It was one of the hardest times of my life, not just academically but also personally. I faced multiple hardships that year, which have equipped me to handle the challenges of college, both academically and personally, and to balance them professionally to be the best student I can be.

One of the biggest challenges of that year was the end of fall when I broke up with my former girlfriend, lost my grandma who I was really close with, and pulled my hamstring in football. Despite the injury, I had to play three games wearing multiple braces and being checked on frantically because my position, O-Line, is very physically demanding. On top of that, I had multiple tests in all of my AP classes, and I did poorly on many of them, which in my eyes is a seventy or lower. This caused me to become very depressed and anxious about what was to come next until I talked to my father. He shared a life lesson with me about how a sword is made, saying, "God is just hammering you to form you into his vision."

After that conversation, I really thought about it and just put my head down and started working hard. I finished the semester strong in winter and performed my best all year, achieving my highest grade ever of 91.78. Through all of that mess, I stuck with God in everything I did, and now I feel ready for the fun and hardships of college life.