Learning From Feedback by Emily

Learning From Feedback by Emily - August 2026 Scholarship Essay

I used to be the type of person that could not take feedback, I did not like being told where I was wrong or where I messed up. There was one time when I received feedback from someone who I honestly was caught really off guard.

I had applied for a job at a place where I volunteered. I had a resume prepared, I was well acquainted and connected with the rest of the team, I had the interview and everything seemed to have gone really well. But I did not get the job, the job went to someone who had no experience in the field we were in at all. I was hurt and disappointed. I had not heard anything from my interviewer and I was supposed to have a second interview. So on top of the hurt and disappointment I was also confused. Months had gone by, I was still there volunteering, when my interviewer had pulled me aside and began to list the reasons why I was not hired. He started listing reasons that made no sense to me. He was saying that I would not have time to work, it was a part time job and I was homeschooled, plus I was already volunteering enough hours for it to be like a part time job. He was saying that I did not have the resources, this part made absolutely no sense, my parents were backing me and were encouraging me to take the job.

In the end, the first I remember receiving feedback that I actually decided to do something with. I could have been upset and just left and stopped volunteering all together, but I decided against that. I kept showing up, kept volunteering, kept learning, and kept growing. And it was all worth it because now almost two years later, I got that job that I had originally applied for, offered to me, and I now work with the best management ever. I quickly learned that feedback could be negative to positive, but whether it makes a negative or positive impact on our lives is up to us and how we respond.