The Journey from Anxiety to Peace by Audrey

The Journey from Anxiety to Peace by Audrey - February 2026 Scholarship Essay

A habit that has made a big difference in both my academic and personal success is reading my Bible. I am a Christian, so Jesus is the biggest part of my life. I have been reading the Bible for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I started doing it consistently. In the beginning of my sophomore year of high school, I realized I needed to rely on God more, so I decided to make an effort to spend more time with Him. I made it a habit to wake up earlier than usual nearly every day and spend the first hour or two of my day in a time of Scripture reading and prayer. While this was amazing and I felt true joy spending my time this way, eventually the habit fell off, and as I started public school the next fall, I no longer felt like I had time left to spend with Jesus. During the spring break of my junior year, I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. It was life-changing. Though as the trip came to a close, I began to dread the thought of going home. Not only because life felt so peaceful in the DR, but also because I did not want to have to face the challenges going on in my life at home. One of the trip leaders was talking to me about it, and he told me how when he went through a similar situation, the thing that helped him most was getting in the Word and devoting all his time to it. I took his advice and watched my life transform before my eyes. I began to read my Bible before school, during every class, at lunch, after I got home, and before bed. I sometimes read a book a day, and it was amazing. I felt more ready to tackle my classes at school, I felt less anxious, less irritable, and truly close to God. Even though coming home was extremely challenging, and I had to re-live so many hard feelings in difficult circumstances, I knew I wasn’t alone, and that I had my biggest supporter behind me. Of course I am not perfect, and I have had a few ups and downs in my consistency, but ever since that moment in my life, I found the one thing that I knew I could never get too much of: the Bible.