Numerically Finding Myself by Tamia

Numerically Finding Myself by Tamia - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

Growing up, I was never fond of many things, but numbers ranked lowest of all. I hate numbers with all my heart. They are tricky and unforgiving; I can never remember codes, and math has always felt like an unsolvable puzzle. Numbers are cold. They don’t bend, they don’t explain themselves, and they rarely meet you halfway. One wrong step and everything falls apart.
But in my sophomore year of high school, it seemed that everything was finally falling into place. I made a hard decision to leave my hometown and attend a rigorous boarding school in Mobile, Alabama, the Alabama School of Math and Science. The school centered on what I hated most: math. But again, what did I hate more than math itself? Numbers. They seemed to take over everything, and at first, I struggled deeply. Every student was given a personal code to unlock crucial doors around campus. Security was strict, and Mobile’s downtown was not the safest, so remembering the code was essential. I knew I would not be given another one, and sharing codes was strictly prohibited. But of course, it was numbers. It took me a long time to memorize my code, but once I did, it opened doors I had never imagined. That code opened doors to alumni meetings where I learned about possible career paths. It opened doors that gave me the courage to ask for opportunities. It opened doors to office hours, to guidance, and ultimately, to discovering my passion. I realized I wanted to become an international attorney. I have always wanted to help people, but not in the conventional way. Yes, there is a conventional way. I wanted to make a lasting, global impact. My goal is to build a career that allows me to understand the world beyond my own experiences and use that understanding to bridge cultural, political, and social divides. This is why I plan to major in international studies. I have always been fascinated by the way history, culture, and policy shape the lives of people across the globe. The more I learn, the more I realize how deeply connected our world is and how important it is to have compassionate leaders who can navigate those connections with clarity and empathy. Studying international studies will give me the opportunity to explore global systems, diplomacy, human rights, and foreign policy. I want to gain a deeper understanding of how nations cooperate, how conflicts arise, and how communities can work together to solve international challenges.In learning to remember numbers, I learned something far more important: how to open doors. Now, I want to open them for those who never believed they could.