Life Lessons by Elijah
Elijah's entry into Varsity Tutor's October 2025 scholarship contest
- Rank: 135
- 0 Votes
Life Lessons by Elijah - October 2025 Scholarship Essay
Life Lessons
Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elijah Joel Stanton. I’m a seventeen-year-old Senior at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Science and the Arts in Hot Springs, Arkansas. While attending school here I have the opportunity to read several books. The one book that stuck with me the most is a book called The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas. This is one of my favorite books because I relate to its main character Star, whose personality is very similar to mine. Her drive to let her voice be heard is what attracted me to her the most.
The character “Star” believed in fighting for what she believes in and who she believes in. Her drive and determination remind me of myself. I love the positive attitude and mindset she displayed in the book. She had to live a double life because she came from a low poverty neighborhood but attended school in a very prominent neighborhood. Despite the fact that she had to mask who she was, she still supported those she believed in and fought to let her voice be heard.
Star fought for the right for her friend’s voice to be heard after he was wrongfully murdered. Being a teenager, she still found the determination to fight for what she believed in and made a vow to always let her voice be heard. I admired her for this because it showed me that no matter how young a person is, you can do positive things that have a positive impact on others.
Life is all about lessons. Lessons that sometimes give the test first. Star shows us in this book that life is full of ups and downs and in betweens but no matter what, we should always stand for what is right and fight for what we believe in. I appreciate Star for the lesson learned and the motivation given to me. Motivation to never give up and always fight for what you believe in.