Never be Afraid to Ask by Sophia

Never be Afraid to Ask by Sophia - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

When feeling tears fall down my face, struggling to catch my breath, and the unexplainable sense of dread that encapsulates my stomach, I know that no one sentence will ever be a miraculous fix. “Worrying won’t do anything to help,” is what I hear from parents and friends. I knew this, yet I just couldn’t seem to stop. No matter how many times I would tell myself that there is no reason to feel this way, the feeling would still persist. Awareness. That was the worst part. I knew it wouldn’t help with anything. I knew there was no gain in it. It’s not like I wanted to feel this way, I just didn’t know how to stop it. In all honesty, I still don’t, at least, not really. That’s what makes listing one piece of advice so difficult.
To answer the question, it made me reflect on how I got to the place I am at today, with my anxiety being, not gone, but manageable. With this line of thought, I condensed it into one primary thing: never be afraid to ask. It may seem far off from the topic of anxiety, but it’s what has helped me cross so many of my self-imposed mental barriers. I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to do enough that I ended up never trying anything. I would shut myself down before even giving myself a chance. I was so worried about my future that I would fall into a cycle of worry and self-denial. However, when I finally made a bet on myself, took the chance, and found the power in me to ask, I ended with some of the best opportunities of my life. I’ve been able to attend summer programs at Stanford that I never thought I would be able to get into, play for volleyball teams, and meet incredible people. This new mindset even helped me look beyond just my own worries and take things in perspective. Going out to search for shelter volunteer opportunities that have helped me give back to the community through animals. It all comes down to taking a chance on yourself. It will be okay regardless of what happens, so never be afraid to ask.