Overcoming Academic Tribulations by Rainee

Overcoming Academic Tribulations by Rainee - December 2024 Scholarship Essay

I have always been naturally intelligent, enabling me to put more focus on sports while still easily maintaining all A's in my classes. However, being a student-athlete, I realized there's a reason that the word "student" comes first. My junior year I took honors physics with a teacher who continually challenged me. What I did not realize in the moment was that she was preparing me for the academic independence I will be facing in college- and that it wasn't her intention to make me cry everyday. Throughout this academic journey, I had to overcome the challenges presented to me in honors physics through open communication, perseverance, and the willingness to learn everyday.
Due to being on two varsity sports, I grasped the significance of self-advocating through constant communication. With the abundance of tournaments and games I participated in throughout the years, I missed a great extent of school. It did not help that physics was my last period before athletics so I definitely failed to attend this class the most. Although I was used to being an involved student-athlete and missing a few classes here and there, I had never been apart of a class so demanding to where these absences negatively impacted me. This is where communication played a key-role as I finally set my stubbornness aside and conversed with my teacher. I asked for assignments ahead of time when I knew I had a conflicts with sports, and would voice to her when I failed to understand something. I took initiative and sent various emails humbly begging for extra credit and a little bit of her time when I needed further explanation on a homework assignment. Even if it meant waking up early for tutorials after getting in at midnight post-game day, I placed my academics above the extracurriculars and pushed for my education. For the first time, I can say with humility in my heart, that I was unable to rely on simple brainpower to get me through a course. It took many discussions with my teacher to gain a true understanding of what I was learning, how to succeed, and begging for extra credit assignments to maintain a stable grade.
Perseverance is what allowed me to show up everyday despite the various trials I knew I would be facing in honors physics. My teacher could see I was struggling, so she sat to the side until I was ready to admit it. Walking into class with the expectation of failure is ultimately what hindered my performance. The constant "I can't do this" and "I give up" pessimistic self-talks were the only barriers keeping me from reaching my capabilities. Then again, no one discusses how essential perseverance is when entering an unfamiliar learning environment. I could display the utmost confidence on the field or court, yet the second I stepped foot into physics class I was immediately deterred. I continued to show up everyday, even if I was exhausted, and eventually my perseverance is what enabled me to supersede subjects like thermodynamics and momentum. Although my teacher made her class rather difficult, her patience and encouragement as I changed my perspective and chose to stay the course aided to my persistence.
With all the technology and easy accessible tools, the willingness to learn is tough to obtain. Opening my mind and being attentive didn't have the same appeal to me as sleeping in class and "winging it" later on. When I failed to understand physics at first, I took that as a sign of defeat and stopped trying altogether. It may sound pathetic, but the truth was I had too much pride to admit I was going to have to apply myself more than usual because my natural intellect wasn't enough. Reversing my attitude and coming to class with a willingness to learn despite this fact took an immense amount of courage. I couldn't take any rest days where I sat on my phone or laid my head down because I was "too tired"- just like my teacher didn't have an option to teach. I was obligated as a student to give my best effort everyday with the desire to broaden my knowledge.
I overcame my greatest academic tribulation through vast amounts of communication between my teacher and I, perseverance to endure hardships, and eagerness to expand my knowledge. In sports, we use the saying "practice makes perfect". Similarly, in academics I could not be victorious without studying the material. As it turned out, entering the classroom with an assured belief that I had all tools to succeed as long as I applied myself completely transformed my apprehension of physics. Furthermore, balancing school and sports became more manageable as I better-ranked my priorities. Although honors physics challenged me in more ways than one, I am thankful as I now hold many academic awards that I now feel weren't just handed to me. My junior and senior year I received "Academic All-District" awards in both softball and volleyball. Additionally, this year I was awarded "TGCA Academic All State", "THSCA Academic All State", "Academic All-State Team". When I held those awards in my hands, I knew the battles I had endured in physics were purposeful.