Winning the Balancing Act: A Lesson in Discipline by Ibraheem

Winning the Balancing Act: A Lesson in Discipline by Ibraheem - May 2026 Scholarship Essay

I used to think that my struggle with managing both college-level courses and the need to give back to my community was like trying to climb a mountain. The stress of being enrolled in an early college program as a high school junior can be overwhelming. Additionally, because I hold an H-4 visa, my family needs to pay for 100% of my tuition at Portland Community College (PCC) without receiving federal assistance; therefore, we desperately need this scholarship before the next term begins so that I may continue to concentrate on my ambition of becoming an Electrical and Computer Engineer.
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Playing volleyball for my mosque was by far the most intense two- to three-year commitment I've made in my life. My team played two years without making it to the finals. Lots of times, I'd be worried about letting my team down through mistakes or being unable to commit. I won't deny that this fear crept into almost every aspect of my life. I especially felt this way when I was working with my mentor. He is an uncle-type figure who works at the community center I attended. He was getting frustrated with my lack of progress, particularly during the busy school months. I had begun feeling as though I was not successful in any area of my life, and I was letting people down everywhere I turned.
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To resolve this issue at work, I made an adjustment in my time management style. I discovered that simply "trying harder" was not getting me the results I needed. I implemented a very strict rule for myself: I would write down exactly what I wanted to get accomplished for that day, and I would not allow myself to go to bed until every one of those tasks was accomplished. This achievement forced me to view the mountain of work as a number of objectives I must complete by the end of that day.
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The new habit helped me to be successful in very difficult classes. My GPA at PCC has been consistent at 3.65, and I also made the Presidents ' List (due to achieving a 4.0 in Fall), the Presidents' List, while also being selected to the Deans' list for the Winter with tough courses such as Calculus and Engineering Programming.
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In addition to maintaining my grades, I completed over 100 total hours of volunteering with both the Iqra Hillsboro Center and Masjid Ibrahim. By continuing to adhere to the "no sleep until it's done" approach, I have helped to redesign a website and also assisted a team in raising $750,000 for our new building, all while not being behind in school.
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The hard effort that I have put into volleyball has resulted in my team making it to the finals and winning a tournament during my 3rd year of playing; I now have a better handle on the juggling act that I use to think was so difficult to maintain. The significance of this scholarship for me is to allow me to continue my education for the next term due to funding; once you develop the self-discipline necessary, no challenge remains scary.
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