One Spark by Taylor

One Spark by Taylor - February 2025 Scholarship Essay

Have you ever had a moment in your life when you wanted to give up? Ever been beaten down? Ever feel so defeated that you want to give up? I have and now my goal in life is to make sure that others don't have to feel that way.

My vision is to double major in psychology and dance to help younger kids in their journey through one that’s similar to mine. As a dancer, I have had lots of different dance teachers and have been in legions of environments. I went to a specific studio for 3 years for spectacular training with a renowned dance teacher, who I knew could help me improve in my training.

The training at the studio was unforgettable and I’ll always be thankful for the lessons and improvement it left me with. However, the environment of the studio left me in a dark place in my adolescence. I was the only person of my skin color there and was seen as less than. I was constantly berated and beaten down, and the situation as a whole left me in a deep depression. I didn’t want anyone to know I was struggling so I didn’t tell anyone and was left to deal with the problems by myself.

Therefore, I want to major in psychology to help adolescents and younger kids deal with their problems. I want them to have someone that they can trust and talk to so they don’t have to go through their problems alone like I did. I’m not 100 percent sure if I want it to be in therapy or psychology, but I do know that I want to be a positive aspect of someone else’s life. I want to major in dance because it’s one of the biggest aspects of my life and I would love to continue doing it alongside psychology.

So as I asked at the beginning, have you ever had a moment where you wanted to give up? Ever been beaten down? Ever feel so defeated that you just want to give up? As someone who can respond yes to every one of those questions, this scholarship would enable me to make my community a better place by allowing others to find the hope in their lives that allows them to continue to keep moving. My motto after being in that toxic environment was "Work Hard in Silence, Make Success your Noise." And I believe I'm here to help others find their motto and a path toward a brighter future.