From Pressure to Progress by De’rrill

From Pressure to Progress by De’rrill - July 2026 Scholarship Essay

My Dual Enrollment English course challenged me because it required college-level reading, writing, and time management while I was still in high school. At first, I felt pressure to keep my Honor Roll grades while balancing school, extracurricular activities HOSA, TELP, volunteering, and helping out at home.
One of the hardest assignments was a literary analysis essay that required me to compare themes across multiple texts and support my argument with strong evidence. I initially tried to write it the way I had completed shorter high school essays, but my first draft was too general and did not fully answer the prompt. After reviewing my teacher’s feedback, I realized I needed to think more critically about the texts instead of just summarizing them. I changed my study habits by reading each passage more slowly, annotating key ideas, and organizing my notes into categories based on theme, character development, and author’s purpose. I also started outlining my essays before writing which helped me significantly. This helped me revise my argument and make my writing more focused.
This experience strengthened my critical thinking because I had to evaluate my habits, identify what was not working, and adjust my approach. I learned that success is not only about working hard, but also about planning, discipline, and being willing to change when needed.
These skills have helped me in other areas of my life and will continue to support me as I pursue a career in healthcare, where organization and thoughtful decision making are essential.