Learning to Learn: My Journey From Gifted to Growing by Ricki

Learning to Learn: My Journey From Gifted to Growing by Ricki - September 2026 Scholarship Essay

If you had asked me a few years ago what my study strategy was, I probably would’ve laughed and said, “Studying? What’s that?” School had always been easy for me. I learned to read at two years old, got tested for gifted in kindergarten, and spent most of my childhood with my nose buried in whatever book I could get my hands on. Reading, science experiments, drawing — learning was just something I did naturally, like breathing.

But middle school changed everything.

COVID hit right as I was leaving fifth grade, and suddenly “school” meant lying in bed with my camera off, listening to teachers talk while I stared at TikTok. I turned in assignments, wandered to the fridge, went back to bed, and repeated. When we finally returned in person, I thought things would go back to normal. But they didn’t — different people, different environment, different curriculums.

In seventh grade, they placed me in Advanced Carnegie Algebra — a class none of us had actually learned the basics for. It felt like someone had thrown me into the deep end without warning. I went from honor roll to C’s, from feeling exceptional to feeling confused. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t sure I belonged in gifted classes. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I belonged anywhere academically. Looking at the students in my classes, I either felt too smart or too dumb.

High school only added more pressure. AP and SAT exams, clubs, GPA requirements, trying out for dance, and everyone constantly reminding me that “college is right around the corner” or “Have you thought about what college to go to?” Being the academic prodigy in the family, it was an ongoing constant and a no‑brainer that I was going to college since I was little. I remember coming home one day and asking my mom if I could switch to regular classes. I knew I could excel there — no stress, no pressure. She told me no and that I needed to step up to the challenge. But how do you step up to something when you’ve never been challenged before?

That’s when I started paying attention to something my mom always did. Whenever she felt overwhelmed, she wrote everything down. And I mean everything. She had multiple notebooks filled with the same lists, rewritten over and over, like she was emptying her brain onto paper just to breathe. I realized I needed to do the same.

So I started writing down everything I didn’t understand in class. Because I love art, my notes turned into colorful masterpieces — different pens, different highlighters, different symbols. At first, seeing all the things I didn’t know made me feel defeated. But then my mom gave one of her classic speeches: “You have all this information at your fingertips. Ask Google. Ask Alexa. Ask Siri.”

So I did.

I took every highlighted question and asked my “three tutors.” I didn’t just search for answers — I asked them to explain things, break down concepts, and help me build study guides. For the first time, studying didn’t feel foreign. It felt like something I could actually learn to do, in my own way.

Color‑coded notes and digital tools became my system. I organized what I didn’t know, broke it down visually, and used technology to fill in the gaps. And it worked. I went from struggling to passing AP exams, from studying alone to leading study groups with my friends. We joke around, color our notes, ask Siri for help, and somehow still manage to pass our tests.

Now, studying isn’t an anomaly — it’s a skill I built from scratch. It taught me discipline, independence, and how to advocate for myself academically. As I enter my senior year and prepare for college, I carry my pens, my highlighters, and the understanding that being exceptional isn’t about never struggling. It’s about being willing to grow, even when growth feels uncomfortable.