How Loss Shaped My Purpose by Kristofer

How Loss Shaped My Purpose by Kristofer - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

Ever since I was conceived, one of the most important things my parents would reiterate would be my need to be successful and maintain excelling grades. Of course, I did my best for them, and throughout my time in elementary and middle school, I was one of the best students. For this, I was constantly praised for every achievement, was told I could do no wrong, and was consistently told I didn’t even need to try to get what I wanted. After so many years of this, I was no doubt amazing at school, but my attitude was self-centered and was based on my perfect grades. I never really dwelled on anything or anyone, didn’t fully respect others, and thought the only thing that mattered was the letter on my report cards. No one really told me how flawed this viewpoint was, and it never changed until the summer before I was going into my freshman year of high school.

What I thought would be a fun summer, turned out to be my worst one ever. To put it simply, my godfather, someone who I loved dearly ever since I was born, took a nasty fall in his home and died a few weeks after. I was there when it happened. When he closed his eyes in front of me, I never realized he would never open them again from that point. Even when the ambulance came and picked him up, I genuinely thought everything would be alright in the end, it always was. However, when he was pronounced dead, I really didn’t know how to process it.

When I arrived to begin high school, I noticed a change in myself. My demeanor with my peers and friends changed. I found myself truly supporting my friends for what they did, treating others with respect, and my viewpoint on what really matters in life shifted. Soon enough, I became someone that genuinely cared about others’ situations, especially during difficult times. I had a greater sense of both empathy and sympathy for my friends and even people that I barely talked to. I was depended on by many for not just smarts, but more for my deeper understanding of people and their circumstances.

This new change let me discover my interest in the human mind and mental health in general. I want to become a psychologist to assist others in my community who are going through a rough patch, reaching people who need support with my passion in this field. I’ve made genuine connections and have proven to others that I am capable of offering support for their struggles. Extending this ability to help more people is what I truly desire for my career. I’ll continue being a pillar of support for both friends and others, because for the many that don’t seem to think so, I’ll prove there’s always someone that cares about them. I have been given an opportunity to shoot for my goals, and I want to extend it to the community that I love.