Greek Legends and Lessons by Ariana

Ariana's entry into Varsity Tutor's October 2025 scholarship contest

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Greek Legends and Lessons by Ariana - October 2025 Scholarship Essay

My current academic life is greatly founded on my willingness and eagerness to learn new things that are hard to understand, but I wasn’t always this open-minded. In the past, especially in the later years of primary school, I was afraid of what I did not know. I had just begun my journey in taking the most advanced classes I could get and I found myself anxious to meet the standards I was being held up to. Up until then, I was very used to always understanding what was happening in class. My parents and teachers were extremely supportive, but I was scared that if I met an obstacle in my new classes, I would fail entirely.
That changed after I read Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan around 4th grade. I loved this novel and author so much that I finished the series, then went on to read at least four other series by the same author that had characters from the same canonical universe, as well as a few crossover books. I spent so much time reading these novels; what isn’t there to love about them? They have action, references to Greek mythology, a variety of characters, special fantasy powers, drama, conflict that combines ancient and modern context into one, etc.
One of the most important aspects of these books for me personally was the characteristics I saw in the main character of the first series. For a little context, Percy Jackson is a demigod- or halfblood, as they are called in the books- who was living a mundane life with his mother until he was suddenly made aware of his true identity: the son of Poseidon. When the rising action in the first book began, Percy began to realize that what he previously believed were his faults, such as his dyslexia and ADHD, were actually attributes that helped him survive in a world where the Greek myths were reality. Although he doesn’t know all of the mythology lore or the boundaries set in place, he enters the realm of monsters and powers with ambition and a goal set in mind, even going so far as to break those boundaries with the gods successfully on multiple occasions.
The two most significant traits I saw in this character at the time of reading were his ability to turn his flaws into power and his confidence in entering a world he didn’t completely comprehend. Both of these characteristics helped me excel in my advanced classes and thrive where I previously was scared to go. If Percy could be successful in spite of the possibility of failure, why couldn’t I? If I face an obstacle, I know that I can turn it into an opportunity to learn and grow, like Percy turned his ADHD into a battle technique. My fears became my powers, and Rick Riordan’s literature was the catalyst that pushed me to realize my own potential.
With a little bit of imagination, I could imagine myself as a halfblood. For example, the most advanced placement I achieved in elementary school was in my math classes. Therefore, I was “claimed” by math like a character would be claimed by their divine parent, meaning I had special powers related to that academic subject. I was mature enough to understand this was not literally the case, yet youthful and creative enough to employ my imaginative stories as motivation to continue when assignments got confusing.
It may seem extreme to claim that my academic success was based on a book that I read at a younger age, but the truth is that literature has the potential to change lives. It definitely influenced mine by teaching me it is okay to not know something and that asking for help does not equate to failure. Even today, as I do my best to learn everything, I have to remind myself that it is not the end of the world if I do not comprehend every subject at first glance, just as in Riordan’s world there are some questions about the universe that go unanswered for a long time. This doesn’t stop me from pursuing those answers; rather, it prevents me from obsessing with perfection and urges me to think more rationally, which ultimately creates an adaptable student and makes me more willing to learn in the future.

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