"You Are Not Behind" by Zoie' Sampson by Zoie'

"You Are Not Behind" by Zoie' Sampson by Zoie' - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I could go back and give one piece of advice to my younger self, I would say, you are not behind.I would say you are quietly becoming someone strong, someone creative, and someone who cares deeply. Even if no one sees it yet, even if you feel like you're doing it all alone, you are building something beautiful.

Growing up in a small duplex in Queens, New York, I was surrounded by adults. My grandparents, my mom, my older brother, and my aunt, but I was alone very often. There weren’t any other kids in the neighborhood. My brother was much older, so it was usually just me and my toys. I would create whole worlds with my stuffed animals, Ninja Turtles, and Smurf toys, totally immersed in my own imagination. One of the only times I felt truly happy and free was when I was in my own little world.

But even as a little girl, I had a sense that things were hard. I’ll never forget the day I overheard my mom crying after school. She was upset because I was falling behind in school. That moment shifted something inside me. I didn’t fully understand how to fix things, but I knew I never wanted to feel like I was disappointing the people I loved. That’s when I started putting pressure on myself to do better. And even though I was still a kid, I started carrying that weight.

What I wish I could tell that younger version of me is that being behind doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It just means your journey is different. I moved between states all throughout my childhood and would change schools constantly, and would have to start over again and again. But all those restarts taught me how to adapt, how to listen, and how to keep going, even when it was hard.

When I settled in Georgia for high school, life didn’t exactly slow down. I helped take care of my grandmother. Which included helping her shower, cook, clean, and do laundry. While also balancing tutoring my little brother, maintaining a 3.5 GPA at school, homelife, and everything in between. It wasn’t easy, but I kept showing up. I joined school clubs like Sources of Strength, DECA, and Student Government. I became a peer leader, assisted with campaigns on mental health, and worked on national hunger awareness goals through my role as a Tackle Hunger Youth Ambassador.

Through it all, I found creative outlets that helped me cope and connect. I fell in love with writing and poured my emotions into stories. I entered competitions like Write The World and Writing Waves. I discovered a passion for graphic design through internships and nonprofit work, where I would create social media infographics that actually made an impact. I got involved with civic engagement and youth activism, even doing grassroots work with the NAACP and TurnUp. I’m looking forward to majoring in Political Science when I start college this fall. My ultimate goal is to create meaningful change in my community and beyond, and education is my key to doing so.

So to my past self, the quiet little girl who felt invisible, confused, and like she was falling behind. I want to say: You are not lost. You are growing. Every lonely afternoon spent playing with toys was the beginning of your creativity. Every time you felt like you were starting over, you were actually learning how to adapt. Every struggle you thought would break you is now the reason you’re strong. You thought you were behind. But really? You were just building a future worth being proud of.