Ain't No Free Lunch by Madison

Ain't No Free Lunch by Madison - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I could give one piece of advice to my past self, it would be this: ain’t no free lunch in this life. Nothing worth having comes without effort, sacrifice, and faith. I would tell myself that no one is coming to save you. You have to show up for yourself every single day. You cannot wait for opportunities to fall into your lap or for someone else to open the door for you. You have to build the door, knock on it, and walk through it.

I would also remind myself that even though no one else is obligated to carry you, you are never truly alone. God will always guide your steps and give you the strength you need for every battle. Sometimes, He allows you to face challenges not because He wants you to struggle, but because He wants you to grow. He will never place you in a situation He knows you cannot handle. I would reassure my younger self that faith and hard work go hand in hand. You must believe in Him while also doing the work to meet Him halfway.

This lesson would have saved me so much doubt and frustration. I would have known sooner that success doesn’t happen by chance, and even when the road feels lonely, it’s shaping you into the person you’re meant to become. My past self needed to know that with hard work and trust in God, anything is possible, but it will never be handed to you for free.