My Advice to my Younger Self by Natalia

My Advice to my Younger Self by Natalia - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I could travel back 6 years to tell my fifteen-year-old self a piece of advice, it would be: 'Keep on going no matter what's happening. You are and will continue doing a great job.'
When I was fifteen, close to turning sixteen, I had no idea what would be in store for me in the next couple of years. Life felt open and full of potential, but also uncertain. What I didn’t expect was just how quickly things would shift—how intense and overwhelming the journey would become.
I was bombarded with things that most people never experience, or at least not all at once. There were unexplainable moments—interactions with spirits in my home that shook me to my core. I started having premonitions, flashes of what was to come, and they weren’t always comforting. I was trying to balance these experiences while stepping into the real world, starting college with all its academic pressures and social expectations.
Then came loss. I dealt with death—unexpected and deeply personal. It changed me in ways I couldn't yet understand. Health issues added to the emotional and physical toll. Studying abroad, something that should’ve been an exciting chapter, brought its own challenges: culture shock, loneliness, and the weight of trying to hold everything together while being so far from home.
At one point, I wanted to give up. I remember thinking, “Why is this happening to me? Will it ever get better?” But somehow, I kept going—even when it didn’t feel like I had the strength. There were days I didn’t recognize myself, but I kept showing up. That’s something I wish my younger self could know: that persistence, even in silence and fear, is powerful.
If I could sit across from that fifteen-year-old version of me, I’d tell them, “You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t even need to feel brave every day. You just need to keep going. The storms will pass, and you’ll be stronger for every single one.” I’d tell them that one day, they’ll look back and be amazed at how far they've come, how much they’ve endured—and most importantly, how much they’ve grown.