The Strength in Choosing My Future by Amaree

The Strength in Choosing My Future by Amaree - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

Freshman year felt like I was carrying two worlds on my shoulders. On one side was cheer, something I loved so much that I decided to do both sideline and all-star, thinking I could handle the weight of both. On the other side were my grades, slowly slipping away while I tried to keep up with long practices, late nights, and early mornings. I kept telling myself I could balance everything, but the truth was I was falling behind.

I remember blankly staring at my report card. For the first time ever I felt the weight of failure hanging over me. It had to be the worst feeling as a freshman. Practice had ended late the night before, my body was sore and tired, and I had barely finished the work due the next day.

That was when I realized I needed extra help, so I decided to stay after school every day, even on practice days. As I asked my teacher for help, she told me I had potential but needed to focus on my priorities. In that moment I realized she was not just talking about grades. She was talking about life in general.

I was so busy trying to prove to myself and my parents that I could do it all at once that I forgot about the foundation I needed to stand on. The hardest part came next. I had to choose which team to leave in order to get back on track in school and stay on top of my work. That was when I discovered a strength I didn’t know I had, the discipline to put my long-term goals ahead of what was comfortable in the moment.

Cheer was more than a sport to me. It was my safe space, my escape from reality, and my team felt like a second family. But I knew that if I kept stretching myself past my limit I risked losing everything, including my education. Walking into practice to tell my coach I could no longer cheer was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It hurt, but my future was too important to ignore.

After that, my days became clearer, my schedule more manageable, and I finally had enough time to complete my work. I continued meeting with my teachers to catch up, and I learned how to properly plan out my weeks by setting small goals for myself. The same determination I put into cheer, I began putting into my schoolwork.

Slowly I started to see change. My grades improved and my confidence grew, not just as a student but as someone who had faced a challenge head on and refused to let a setback define me. I learned that discipline is not about doing everything at once but about knowing what to let go of in order to move forward.

Looking back, almost failing my freshman year could have broken me, but instead it built me. That moment became a wake up call and it set me straight for the rest of high school. It also shaped the way I view my future. Just as I learned to balance my priorities then, I now understand how important it will be as I pursue my goal of becoming a Pediatric Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. The focus, discipline, and resilience I gained through this experience are the same qualities I will carry into my career and my life.