"Helpful ways" by Gerald

"Helpful ways" by Gerald - March 2026 Scholarship Essay

A time I helped someone in a meaningful way was helping my mom find something valuable to her (her ring). She lost it while sleeping and it somehow vanished from her finger and when she woke up to see that it was missing, she was panicking. My dad had already left for work, and her panic attack was so loud that it woke me and my siblings up. The first thing we asked when we got to her room was “what’s going on are you okay?” after calming herself a bit she told us what happened, we all knew how much that ring meant to her, so we asked “when is the last time you remember having it?” and she replied “right before I went to bed, but I woke up and it was off my finger.”

We had some time before my dad came back home, so we helped her look for it. We searched for at least twenty minutes before we took a break. “Where could that ring be” said my sister and honestly, I was just as confused after taking a break we realized my mom was still looking for it but outside of her room, so we asked “why are you looking you looking outside of the room if you lost it in the room” she replied “ I don’t know but I have to find that ring by any means possible I love that ring so much.” We let her check wherever she felt were necessary, but we continued to her room and from the corner of the room I heard “Mama, I found it!” My sister found it behind the dresser, and my mom was so relieved. This helped me learn that everyone makes mistakes. You just must assist them and continue to help them until they find their right path to success.