Learning to Listen, Learning to Grow by Michelle

Learning to Listen, Learning to Grow by Michelle - August 2026 Scholarship Essay

One of the most important lessons I have learned about growth is that being capable does not mean having to do everything perfectly on my own. For a long time, I believed that if I wanted to succeed, especially as the oldest daughter and a first-generation college student, I had to figure things out myself. I felt pressure to be the person my family could depend on, and sometimes that pressure made it difficult for me to admit when I needed help or when something I was doing could be improved.

I remember receiving feedback on my work that challenged me to look beyond simply completing an assignment. I had put a great deal of effort into my work, so hearing that I could improve certain parts of it was difficult at first. My first reaction was to focus on what I had already done rather than what I could do differently. However, instead of taking the feedback personally, I decided to ask questions, listen carefully, and use the criticism as a way to improve.

That experience changed the way I approach learning. I began to understand that feedback is not someone telling me that I am not good enough. It is someone showing me how I can become better. I started paying closer attention to comments on my work, asking for clarification when I did not understand something, and looking for ways to apply what I learned to the next assignment rather than making the same mistake twice.

This lesson has become especially meaningful as I prepare to begin my college journey at Towson University as a Public Health major. I know college will challenge me in ways I have never experienced before, and I do not expect myself to know everything immediately. Instead, I want to enter college with the mindset that every correction, difficult grade, question, and piece of advice is an opportunity to grow.