The Sit and Read by Ana

The Sit and Read by Ana - July 2026 Scholarship Essay

The bell rang, and it was time to go back to class where the Sit and Read would begin. Ms.Toledo, my 4th grade teacher, was the only 4th-grade teacher, who was bilingual when I first got to Franklin Elementary School. I didn’t know the English language, and she was the only one who could help me. She talked to the principal and asked to have me in her class. She thought it would help me accommodate better. Ms.Toledo really took her time with me; she even had me and her spend extra time together to improve my English. She truly helped me with the foundations of the English language.

The classroom felt different that day, sort of like an obstacle. I knew the Sit and Read would be after lunch that day, so all day I just kept saying to myself, “Don’t mess up, don’t mess up.” As a little girl, I was very quiet and an overthinker. I was trying my hardest to pay attention to the other lessons, but the nerves were starting to eat me alive. My mom would always say, “Ana, nerves aren’t a bad thing, it just means you care.” I must have cared a lot because my nerves were very frayed. Lunch came, and by then I was barely speaking or eating my lunch, which really upset me cause I love eating, but at that moment, I just couldn’t take a bite.

As I was about to walk in the classroom, Ms.Toledo asked, “Are you ready to read aloud in class?”. With confidence in my tone, I said, ”Yes!” while on the inside I felt butterflies. Everyone sat in a circle at the rectangular rug. I remember that rug so well, it was blue on the inside with a bunch of school materials, and the outline of the rug was red with alphabet letters. As usual, Ms.Toledo went first, and then she picked who would read next with popcorn reading. That day, we were reading The Last Bear by Hannah Gold.

Ms.Toledo had said, "I'm going to have to read last so you can be better prepared and less nervous after seeing all the other kids read.” Time passed, people kept reading, and my turn was getting closer. The butterflies in my stomach grew bigger and bigger. I zoned into thoughts about everything that could go wrong, then in the distance I heard, “Ana, Ana, Ana”. It was Ms.Toledo calling me. It was my turn to read. As everyone turned the page, I took a deep breath and started to read.

As I was reading, I started to feel fuzzy, happy, and proud of myself and how far I’d come because I knew what I was doing was not easy for anyone, including me. At that moment, I realized how hard work and resilience can get you through anything. Now, I apply what I had accomplished that day to all my classes and to the mountains I’e had to climb throughout my life. Just because something seems hard or impossible doesn’t mean I can’t do it. It’s not about what’s on the other side, it’s about the journey and the lessons learned. A nursing major won’t be a smooth path, but I’ll apply the same hard work and resilience I learned that day, because there’s no mountain too high to climb.