Now is My Time to Shine! by Benjamin

Now is My Time to Shine! by Benjamin - April 2026 Scholarship Essay

In just a few months, August will be here and I already know August 24th is move-in date for college athletes. This will be the time in my life when I enter a new chapter, one that I have been thinking about and looking forward to since December. I will call it "The Chapter of My Independence!" While living away from home on my college campus, I will have four years to master a new skill, and that new skill will be proving to everyone, my parents mostly, that I can be independent of them. Living independently is a life skill which includes traits which will prepare me for adulthood.

Each of these traits encompass more than just one idea, but for the sake of space, I will make a mention of a key example of each. I will give examples of a few of these traits.

Responsibility: As I write this, it is April of my Senior year. Up until this point in my life, I have been awoken every morning by my mother's voice, getting louder and louder as minutes ticked by, while she waited to hear my footsteps as I stomped my way out of my bedroom and into the bathroom. Setting my alarm and waking up on my own will now be my responsibility.

Reliability: Right now there is a color-coded calendar hung on our refrigerator door showing every upcoming doctor appointment, dentist appointment, sports practice, sports game, due date, church service, etc., detailed by my mother of course. Being reliable will mean me showing up for myself, whether it be for my health, my classes, my friends, my work, or any of my daily, weekly or monthly obligations.

Self-Motivation: As far back as I can remember, I have always procrastinated, mostly when needing to tackle something that I was dreading or just did not have an interest in. Living on my own will force me to practice self-motivation, whether it simply be doing anything and everything related to my schooling, to doing my laundry, keeping my dorm clean, or getting to the gym for a workout. It all falls on my shoulders.

Time-Management: I can only imagine how many hours of my life I have wasted while laying in bed scrolling through the next and best social media app, or snap chatting anyone and everyone I was connected to, or checking to see all my friends locations. This social media addiction of mine will absolutely need to come to a stop. I still need to figure out how I am going to greatly reduce my mindless phone usage, but I will make it happen!

Self-Awareness: The world we live in is a scary place. I can only imagine the thoughts or worries that might be running through my mom's head, especially once I leave home to live on campus. I need to show my parents that I am "street smart", that I am aware of my surroundings, that I know what to do or how to handle myself should I find myself in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation.

All in all, by the end of "The Chapter of My Independence!", I expect to morph and blossom into a young adult that my family and friends do not recognize. My goal is to become independent which I know will make my parents proud.