Picky Eater by Gabrielle

Picky Eater by Gabrielle - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

I’m 17 years old and I’ve never eaten a vegetable. Why, you may ask? I couldn’t even tell you.
Growing up, dinnertime was never my favorite. While my family enjoyed a nice home-cooked meal, I was busy eating chicken nuggets and fries.
I grew accustomed to this way of eating and wanted to stick to it. Being able to manage one thing in my life felt good. Controlling my eating habits made me feel balanced. I knew what I liked, and I didn’t want to change that. Ever. My parents would constantly try to get me to eat whatever food they made, but I would always say, “No, thank you”. These three words defined my childhood.
Living life as a picky eater made it impossible for me to feel comfortable doing simple things, such as eating lunch at school in front of my friends or even going out to dinner and seeing everyone order pasta.
I was insecure in what I ate, feeling that I was being judged constantly. The constant voices in my head telling me I can’t change used to take over.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t ignore the fact that I needed to do something about my eating and control habits. I wanted to grow into someone different. I needed to start letting go. I just didn’t know how.
Until one Thanksgiving, when I was at my grandma’s house during that time, everyone in my family knew I was a picky eater, so my grandma would always prepare something special just for me.
That year, she made something different, and to my surprise, it was green beans.
I kept thinking to myself, 'What did I do to deserve something like green beans on my plate?'
I began contemplating what to do and how to extricate myself from this situation. I really wanted to say those three words I had held onto for many years.
Before I knew it, all eyes were on me. During my thought process, I had an epiphany about what I needed to do: I needed to try the green beans.
My whole family waited to see if I would eat them, which felt like a million hours. Eventually, I built up the courage to take a bite.
And once I did, I’ve never looked back. Although it was difficult, trying the green beans helped me believe I could change my life for the better.
In that moment, my eyes were opened like a curtain being pulled back from a window.
Instead of controlling every little thing, I soon was able to let the weight of control go and started to see the beauty of living in the moment.
From then on, I started to try more and more new foods. Soon after that, I was able to eat comfortably at school without feeling judged.
My confidence grew stronger every day as I saw the positive results it had on me and my health. My family began to see the differences in my school life. It became easier as I stopped putting pressure on myself.
Singing releases all control and creates a safe space to be authentically me. Learning new music allows me to express myself in ways most people can’t understand.
I still think about the Thanksgiving experience as I grow older and reflect on its significance in shaping me into the person I am. To this day, I’m still 17 years old, but I'm now someone who is becoming more open-minded and embracing change rather than shying away from it. Even though I don’t prefer vegetables, every new bite lets me believe that change is possible just by challenging myself to step out of my own limitations.