Under The Water by Marianna

Under The Water by Marianna - July 2026 Scholarship Essay

My head was submerged under the water, and my eyes were closed. I was only under for about 3 seconds, but it felt like a new version of myself was being born. As I emerged from the tub, I was greeted by the proud expressions of my church community, witnesses to a pivotal moment in my journey of faith. I felt proud as I walked to grab my certificate, yet another achievement to place on my wall in my room. I knew that with middle school approaching, I was only able to gain more. I believed that my intelligence and ambition would carry me through anything that lay ahead.

Two months later, it was my first day of middle school. I held my head high as I walked through those middle school doors, ready to be the star student as I've always been. So imagine my shock when, in my last class of the day, math, I received my first-ever score of 50 on a pop quiz. A failing grade, and on the very first day. I was crushed, and I told myself I was better than this. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning. Test after test and quiz after quiz, I kept failing. I couldn't understand how I kept doing so badly. Everything had always come so easily to me. I was now begging my teacher for extra credit, staying after school, and doing Saturday school to get some help. I began to feel hopeless in everything. I never wanted to push myself to do anything. I believed all my peers were better and smarter than me. I wouldn't dare to go up to the board and answer a question for fear I'd be humiliated by my lack of intelligence. I was no longer the girl who knew everything and could figure out problems in her head. I was now the student whom teachers had to pay extra attention to. The student who constantly begged my friends for the answers to homework assignments. I couldn't believe who I had become. For the first time, I actually hated going to school.

Three years and one pandemic later, I was still struggling. Countless nights, I cried over the fact that I'm not intelligent. Even with all the tutoring and practice, I was certain it was never going to get me anywhere. I was still in endless confusion about how to do the simplest equations. I had an upcoming math exam that was going to be our final exam for the year. I was almost certain I was going to fail. However, I still studied, went to after-school, and got additional worksheets from my teacher. That Friday after the test, I was anxious to go online to look at my grade. The disappointment was about to sink in, and there it was: an 86 on my final math exam. I was ecstatic and over the moon; all my hard work did pay off. Although I wasn't a future mathematician or a natural genius from birth, I always persisted in figuring out what I was learning. Every time I wanted to quit, I just kept going. All the after-school tutoring, online tutoring, and Saturday school showed me that whatever challenge I face, I will do my best to overcome it. With every challenge comes an opportunity to learn and be out of your comfort zone. You can only become better by being faced with challenges that you've never experienced. And that, in my opinion, is real intelligence.