Off On My Own by Noah

Off On My Own by Noah - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

I was in sixth grade when the coronavirus pandemic began, and all of our classes moved online. Previously, I was in a small class with lots of teacher involvement at a local charter school. This meant that I had a lot of support when we were working on projects, even though they were largely student-directed. When the pandemic started, this type of support was more difficult to find. However, I learned that I was perfectly fine working on my own, and even thrived when I was working independently. This has helped me grow academically and also personally since then.

In school, I learned that I could tackle more on my own and go outside of traditional educational paths. For example, I could take math courses through a nearby college even though I didn’t have the means to go in person for a few semesters. I was capable of studying off of the textbook and learning from online resources, and didn’t need the help of a teacher. This has greatly opened up my flexibility with different learning opportunities and given me chances to grow that otherwise wouldn’t have been available to me.

This has applied to places outside of academics, too. In my freshman year, I learned app development for a project I was doing, and have used my skills to create a handful of different tools for my personal and productive use. I also took my knowledge of programming and joined the school’s robotics team as a programmer. Although the team is small and hasn’t hit its growth spurt yet, I can learn different programming and design techniques without needing a mentor.

Overall, this independence has granted me many opportunities throughout my time in high school. Being able to learn and explore without someone to guide and direct me gives me the flexibility that I need to accomplish everything I want to in my life. Although sometimes I bounce back and forth between different ideas and plans, I can be confident in my ability to build the skills I need to be successful whatever I do.