Last year, after 2 years of disappointing report cards, my mom sat me down and told me something I will never forget. It was something that inspired me to completely change my life around. My mom looked me in the eyes and said that I am not “naturally smart”. She told me that I'm not one of those people who can walk into a test without studying and get a 100 or who can play around in class and expect to breeze through the material. But what she did tell me was that I'm the type of person who, with the right dedication, can achieve everything and more than a “naturally smart” person can. This conversation sparked a series of questions in my head that are still present today, “What can I do? How far can I go?”
So, I challenged myself. Going into the fall of my junior year, I knew that I wanted and needed straight A’s. I have never once in my life received straight A’s or any academic award. One of the biggest hurdles I faced was catching up on subjects that I typically struggled in. At times it was extremely demotivating because I was still stuck on the basics. But, I began to teach myself in order to catch up. After countless hours of videos and online lessons, I started to feel more confident and everything began to fall into place. I also expanded my friend group and became friends with the “smart kids”. I felt driven to prove that I could get the same grades they did on tests and projects. They motivated me and made me want to try harder. In the last year, I have gone from barely passing my classes to being on track to receive straight A’s for the entire year. The reality of this change has had a profound impact on my life and gives me hope that college is still a possibility for someone like me.