Always Trying My Best by Chloe

Always Trying My Best by Chloe - February 2026 Scholarship Essay

I am a competitive swimmer, and a student. Both of these titles are all about routines and habits. I wake up, go to morning practice, then go study, head back to practice. Routines and habits are my life, but some habits and routines differ then that of time stamps and something you do.

In competitive swimming, one of the biggest things my coaches say is, you aren't racing people in the lanes next to you, you are racing yourself. If unfamiliar with competitive swimming, races are for times, striving to beat personal bests in each event. This thought process of “I can always be better and try harder” has carried over into my daily life. Instead of judging others and saying to myself that I can be better than them, I have the mind set of “I can always try harder, and be better than myself”. This mind set has enabled me to push myself in everything I do, not just the sport I love so much.

When I was a sophomore I decided to push myself academically and switch to the Matsu Middle College, where high school students have the opportunity to enroll in college classes for dual enrollment. This has been one of the most challenging things that I have had to do, but I was able to push myself, resulting in a more advanced education that I feel benefited me more than if I had stayed at my previous high school.

Another example of how I can always be better and try harder, and how that mindset habit has helped me, is in my athletics. Prior to my senior season of high school swimming, I badly sprained my ankle. I am an extremely clumsy person, and was running down a trail at our cabin (to escape the rain of mosquitoes) and fell, twisting my ankle. At the time of the injury I thought that I would be fine and would heal quickly. Unfortunately, it has been seven months since the injury, and I am still not completely recovered.

Those first couple of weeks were very rough. I sat out of a third of the swim season, which set me back tremendously. Previously, in my junior year I had made it to state, and if I had not sprained my ankle, then I would have made it to state again this year. But because of the injury, I was going times as slow as when I was twelve years old. In that moment of humiliation and sadness, I had a thought. I remembered who I am, and how I do not quit. By making it a habit of mine to continue trying and advancing, I wiped my tears, got off the bathroom floor and tried my hardest throughout the rest of the season from that point on. For the remainder of the season I worked on other strokes, and shaved off lots of time. I found that even though I had that accident, I was still able to achieve great things. It again showed me that I should never give up, and always have a “I can keep trying mindset”.

I eventually was able to swim at state with one of my relay teams, and although only swimming on a relay was not what I had in mind for the season, it turned out better than I could have hoped for. I was able to have the satisfaction of knowing that I had worked my hardest, and even though I had an injury, I made it almost all the way back to where I was within two months. Being able to push myself has brought me so much joy and fulfillment, that I am almost glad that the injury happened. I’m grateful for the habit of being able to say hey, you can do better, and continue to work hard, because it has brought me so much more meaning into my life. Building habits does not always have to mean doing something everyday, it can also mean having a mindset that you will try to do something everyday. For me, that is always to try my hardest, even when I fall, getting chased by mosquitoes.