"We've Gotta Go Through It!" by Elena

"We've Gotta Go Through It!" by Elena - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

Have you ever read the book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt? I grew up listening to my mom read this illustrated children’s book, and in it a family faces different challenges as they search for a bear. With each thing they encountered, such as a small cave, they always said “we can’t go under it, we can’t go over it, we’ve gotta go through it!” This phrase has rung in my ears for years as I’ve grown up to face my own challenges.
In ninth grade, I began to realize that I was struggling with different symptoms of depression. At this time my thought process often fell to thinking that if anything was too hard I would be able to “go under it” merely by melting into a hole everyone forgot about. I slowly learned through encouragement and friendly help that I actually had to go through it so that I could walk out the other side with a wealth of wisdom and strong friendships.
This experience, and everything I gained from it, spurred me on through sophomore, and into junior year as I began dealing with a shoulder injury that kept me from my favorite hobbies. I was told that I might be able to get “over it” through physical therapy and rest, but after months of this treatment we learned once again that I had to “go through” a surgery that would repair a torn muscle in my shoulder.
Both of these challenges have taught me that sometimes the fastest way to get around a cave is to just go straight through it. Spelunking is not always fun, but it has certainly had an incredible impact on me.