Why I’m continuing college. Why I push forward. by Maura

Why I’m continuing college. Why I push forward. by Maura - August 2025 Scholarship Essay

My aspirations for my junior year in college are to improve my computer skills so that I can make my dreams of becoming a game developer a reality. I’ve gotten good at making UI screens for games and animations that go along with them, but as for making a game completely by myself, I am still working on that. My new classes deal with coding and the graphical side of software and hardware. I expect these classes to be hard, and what is motivating me to push through these challenges is that I know my efforts won’t be in vain. One day, I will be able to create games that I am able to express myself and others through. I want to be able to create something that delves into the dark side of humanity, something that shines light on the pain that people experience and get covered up. One day, I will be able to show my experience and trauma in a way that helps other people who have experienced something close to what I have gone through find solace in knowing that they aren’t the only ones. There are other people like them. That you are not alone. You are heard. Your trauma shouldn’t be covered. Your mental illnesses shouldn’t be hidden either; you’re not acting that way for attention. It is who you are. I want my games to convey that. I want them to help people, but also tell the truth and expose everyday things that we go through. This is what motivates me to continue. I may not think that I am growing, but I have people around me telling me how far I have come. I will continue, not just to make other people happy or proud, but for myself and anyone hurting. When I was in 5th grade, it was, younger me learned about video games and people who play them. I saw the way you could express yourself and tell stories through them. I may have been born an artist, but I will grow with my knowledge to be a developer. I will make my past self proud. I will show her that all the pain we have experienced won’t be for nothing. We are here today because we didn’t fully give up, no matter how much we wanted to.