Essay: Discovering Resilience by Ann Elizabeth

Essay: Discovering Resilience by Ann Elizabeth - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

It was early in my high school career when I realized that resilience is not just a word in a textbook. It is a strength that shows up when everything feels uncertain, and it is the strength I now carry into every challenge I face.

I had always been passionate about technology and problem-solving, but when I joined the Virginia Tech Residential Engineering Program and began developing a Seismo earthquake-detection device, I encountered a moment that pushed me far beyond my comfort zone. During our first live test, the system malfunctioned less than fifteen minutes before our scheduled demonstration. Our team of ten stood frozen. Several days of design, coding, and sensor calibration suddenly felt at risk. In that moment, doubt crept in. I questioned whether I was truly ready to lead at that level. I remember the noise of the lab fading as I realized this was one of those moments that quietly shape who we become.

Then something shifted. With less than fifteen minutes remaining, I stepped forward and said, “We still have time. Let’s break it down step by step.” I organized a rapid diagnostic check, assigned tasks across hardware and software, and kept the team focused on solutions instead of setbacks. We did not fix everything, but we restored enough functionality for the system to detect motion and trigger its alert. Standing there as the device responded, I felt something new take root: a clear understanding of my own resilience.

That experience revealed a strength I once believed only others possessed. I learned how to stay calm under pressure, how to transform disappointment into determination, and how to lead collaboratively when plans fall apart. I discovered that strength is not the absence of difficulty. It is the choice to move forward despite it. Since that day, I have learned to trust myself in uncertainty. Growth, I now understand, does not come from comfort. It comes from choosing courage when outcomes are unclear.

Over the next few years, that strength surfaced in ways I did not expect. In the classroom, I challenged myself with rigorous coursework like AP Psychology, not only to improve academically, but to better understand how people think, learn, and adapt. Those insights now shape how I lead with empathy. In my independent Python for AI studies, I encountered confusion and repeated errors that once would have discouraged me. Remembering the lesson from Virginia Tech Residential Engineering Program, I pressed on with patience and curiosity, turning each mistake into momentum.

Resilience also reshaped how I serve my community. When devastating earthquakes struck communities abroad, I wanted to help but did not know where to begin. Instead of shrinking from the scale of the problem, I organized a student-led supply drive and coordinated a community fundraising effort. Through that experience, I learned how perseverance can grow from personal resolve into collective impact.

Most importantly, resilience clarified my academic and career aspirations. I now know that the challenges I am most drawn to solve exist at the intersection of technology, human need, and real-world complexity. That is why I plan to pursue computer and biomedical engineering, with a focus on designing AI-powered wearable devices that detect early health risks for underserved patients who too often lack access to preventive care. I want to build solutions that protect people before crisis strikes, because I understand how early support and steady confidence can change lives.

Resilience has become my compass. I no longer view setbacks as failures. I see them as invitations to innovate, adapt, and grow. Whether I am debugging a program, recalibrating seismic sensors under pressure, or organizing community support efforts, I now approach challenges with possibility rather than fear.

Sometimes I reflect on how different my path might have been if I had allowed that moment in the engineering lab to defeat me. Instead, it became the foundation of everything I am building. Each obstacle since then feels less frightening, not because the challenges are easier, but because I now know I am capable of facing them.

This strength has shaped who I am today, and it is why I seek opportunities to uplift others through tutoring, organizing service projects, and using my technical skills to create solutions that strengthen my community. Growth only matters when it is shared. I credit that evolution to one pivotal moment during the Seismo test, but the resilience I discovered there continues to guide every step of my journey.