Learning the Why by Iris

Learning the Why by Iris - August 2026 Scholarship Essay

Since I was a young girl, I have struggled with selective eating due to extreme texture issues. Foods that are staple experiences for most people, like hamburgers, hotdogs, or soda, have always been impossible for me to handle because of their slimy or inconsistent feelings. For years, my diet consisted almost entirely of carbs and chocolate. While it felt manageable in my day to day routine, I struggled to branch out or realize how severely these limits could impact my health and long term goals.

Everything changed when I had a sit down conversation with my stepdad. He spoke to me with honesty, outlining the real world consequences of where my diet was leading me, including serious nutritional deficits, the potential need for a feeding tube, and the reality that poor health would get in the way of my ability to pursue my lifelong goals. Hearing that feedback was a tough mental challenge to face. It was uncomfortable to realize that my habits were already setting me back, but it also made me realize that I didn’t have to stay stuck in these bad habits. I couldn’t undo the past, but I could actively choose to improve myself starting right then.

I started treating my selective eating as a structured problem to solve rather than a barrier. First, I mapped out my sensory preferences, learning exactly what textures triggered my discomfort and were manageable. Next, I identified the critical nutrients my body was missing. From there, I began incorporating necessary supplements with the safe foods I already trusted.
Taking that feedback to heart reshaped my entire approach to personal growth. I discovered that to push through a challenge, I need to understand the “why” behind the process, knowing the reason for that change gives me the motivation to face the discomfort and make a change. Embracing and adapting to the uncomfortable has made me stronger, resulting in noticeable improvements in both my physical health and confidence in social settings. Learning from that critique proved to me that confronting hard truths is not a set back, it is the foundation to progress.