Bryan Durkin Memorial Scholarship Analysis

I worked just as hard, yet my test results were notably underwhelming in comparison to my ‘top 10’ classmates. What was different about me, I thought every night before I fell asleep. Then I realized, I was alone in my cherishment of extracurricular activities. While my classmates were up late Friday nights studying, I was cheering on the sidelines, exerting myself to pep up the crowd via backflips. When others were reading ahead, I was helping to feed outlying communities. While the ‘top 10’ was still cramming, I was at a Wednesday worship program. I’m committed to giving my complete impetus to everything I take part in, and sometimes, your best isn’t enough for what you want and there is almost nothing you can do about it. This taught me that in order to be truly fulfilled, you need to accept failure as part of your life and learn to move on. Thinking about it, I would not be happier if I quit doing the things I love to study more so that I could be in the ‘top 10’. In fact, I would most definitely be more miserable. Learning to accept failure, I have decided to cultivate my energy into simply giving my all and to welcome whatever rank, or not, I receive with open

I am convinced that my high devotion to the task allows me to overcome any challenge in my path towards success. Basically, I believe that I am totally different from many other people. While a scholar in general education diploma, I beat the odds by succeeding in a subject that had always been perceived to be the most difficult. In fact, this perceive was reinforced by the strictness of the professor in charge of the course. She was famed for her technique that would only produce a handful of excellent top performers in every semester. However, since I had set a goal to being among the best in her class, I ignored negative opinions of my colleagues about the hard subject. In this case, I knew that thinking one’s brain with failure would diminish their ability to score highly. For this reason, I worked overly hard in silence. Finally, I got an excellent grade. On the other side, my classmates and my supervisor were surprised. The achievement confirmed to me that negatives beliefs from other individuals ought not to limit one from pursuing their dreams, because everyone is unique has different respond among his peers in the same

As a first generation student there has been an abundant amount of obstacles that have been placed into my path as a test to view how dedicated I truly am to my goals. Ever since I was a kid I aspired to be someone successful in my family and still do to this day. It was always my dream to be the first one to accomplish what the rest weren’t able to. To me being in school was already hard enough for me ever since I was a kid, because I could never get along with the rest of my classmates. Most of them would consider me as weird, just because I was a shy individual with a dora haircut. I never really spoke either because I felt so isolated from the rest, it was just so obvious for me I was different.

As a person, I describe myself as perfectionist one. I am always in a search for improvement. I have a passion for excellence that has started in early in school years. During my elementary school years, I was doing my best to be among the top students in my school. However, my style of study relied on just hard working with no system for doing so. With my efforts I put, in studying, I was able to maintain the 10th rank in the list of the top-ten students in the last two years of the elementary school (5th grade and 6th grade). I enjoy being competitive and aim for the best. In the first year of the middle school (7th grade) I thought of finding a way to improve my performance, so I tried just to the same with dedicating more hours to studying.

To begin, the biggest commitment that I have made during my high school career was in tenth grade when I was inducted into National Honor Society. There are many activities that as a member I have to commit to way ahead of time. The main activity that the organization does more than once a year is the blood drive. People within the community are even invited to give blood and help people that are in need of it. I not only volunteer to work the blood drive every time, I also give part

If someone was to ask me how I would review myself as a student when I was in high school I would laugh. But if I was that same high school kid and was asked how I would review a 19 year old man in his first year of community college I would look to him as an example of someone who is destined to be successful. Rewinding back to my high school career I faced a few challenges, ones that I have accomplished and ones that I am working hard on overcoming. I faced ADHD issues in my life as well as procrastination in almost every one of my classes. Even today as a freshman at McHenry County College I have got into old habits of procrastination and staying attentive. But as a student who strives for success I do not let my weaknesses define me, I learn from them so I will not make the same mistakes in my future college endeavors. An academic strength I would like to point out is my ability to manage my time wisely, which is something I have worked hard on since I graduated in May of 2016 to today. I use calendars, reminders on my phone, and planners so that I can be the student I had wanted to be when I was in high school. My last academic strength I will point out is my passion to be successful today and tomorrow. I make goals and I complete them. From saving up my money to buy my first car, to starting off strong in my first year of community college and finishing my first semester with all A’s, which is something I will achieve. Overall, I believe a mindset to be successful in

Many times my efforts were not positively reflected through my grades. These disappointments remind me that I must take a step back when I become overwhelmed, and remember that I am equipped with the right work ethic, attitude, and determination to handle new challenges. Before the start of most school days, I spent time with teachers reviewing the previous night’s homework that I persistently fumbled through. Countless hours were spent watching tutorials and reinforcing class notes with my dad. Like mastering manual driving, I determinedly redirected focus towards what I knew I could achieve in math, instead of fearing the ride to get there. By focusing on my strengths, I was able to push myself daily, and strengthen skills to improve my quarter grades, earn an A on my semester exam, and celebrate these

Throughout my life, I have always put in the extra work so I can achieve. Whether it be helping others, or myself, I know I am diligent and driven, striving for success instead of just hoping for the best. I know that challenging myself may seem

When it comes to volunteering in the the local community I essentially have, since a young age. I originally started volunteering at the Lake Pepin Vet Clinic and Hiawatha Valley Humane Society in 4th and 5th grade due to my love for animals. I spent endless summer days at the vet clinic just simply helping out with daily chores and with the animals themselves. My biggest accomplishment I achieved while volunteering so young was donating money I raised from selling lemonade and cookies at the yearly humane society garage sale to the Hiawatha Humane Society itself. To this day I still volunteer in my free time at the Goodhue County Humane Society in Red Wing. I also helped out at the Lake City Senior Apartments this last summer whenever I had the chance. When it comes to being involved in my school I try to be a positive role model by participating in Lincoln Highs Team Leadership Program and National Honor Society. Along with managing baseball in the spring time due to my love for watching the game.

Based on my service experience I want to stay not only involved in my community, but also my school. This is evident now by my commitment at my church doing community services weekly by serving meals, but also in the summer by continuing the meals and also participating in Vacation Bible School where I will be able to teach kids about the bible stories and our religion. The fact this is a fun, safe, place for kids to attend during the summer and also receiving, once again, home cooked meals is something that not only I, but our whole community should support.

My disappointment eventually began to fade once I challenged myself to excel in all areas. Within months, my renewed dedication started to produce results. From my junior and senior years, I will have earned enough college credits to surpass my freshman year. Accomplishing this exemplifies my ability to be an independent leader for both personal and academic benefits. I believe that I grew from a student who followed the pack to an independent scholar who now takes action and is challenged by his own

I believe I deserve this scholarship because my family is not able to provide me with any assistance with college. Though this scholarship does not give a big amount of money, I do believe in a little going a long way. I am a very goal oriented person and I know what I want to achieve in life, I have worked hard all throughout high school even when I faced big obstacles along the way. From my challenges through high school, I’ve learned that failure is just another opportunity to learn and grow and no matter how many times life makes you fall it’s the way you get back up that matter. I am deserving of this scholarship because I have big dreams for myself and no matter how hard it gets, I will never give up on my aspirations. I plan on becoming

There is not much that you can put in front of me that I don’t have the ability to dissect and solve, I pride myself in doing it. Challenges are my thing, my pet peeve is when someone, usually of higher authority has the audacity to say that I am unable to achieve my goals, and it drives me to push forward toward my goals, and accomplish the task at hand. I have a complete understanding that nothing in life comes easy, and that there will always be bumps in the road and “uneasy sailing”. It’s all about how you choose to respond to adversity, and how you will rise to the occasion. In this world nothing gives me a feeling of triumph more than the feeling of success and accomplishment, this is a characteristic I have developed from one of my main role models Russell Richardson, who is my father. His life is a prime example of adversity, but he has never let that affect me or my family, and I have great respect for him because of it. He always does an exceptional job of leading by example. I want to follow in my father’s footsteps when it comes to his work ethic and perseverance, and take the ceiling that my father set for me and my siblings and raise that bar for my future kids and family. Excellence is always the goal, higher living is the dream, and hard work is the plan. Nothing can stop me from what I want to do, you’re either with me or against me, those who

The reason I am deserving of this scholarship is that, I am persistent and have the ability to put in all the hard work it will take and follow it through to achieve my goals and dreams. I believe in myself that I can achieve my goals and dreams, and I believe that this scholarship will give me that foundation I need to build a better self and enable me to become a person who will make a difference in this world.

I have really high expectations for myself and what I am capable of this fall at Mount Olive College. I have very high goals for myself and have revised what I believe to be a well guided plan to achieve them. I feel eager and excited to unleash my mind, thoughts and the power of my determination. I know that it’s going to be a lot of hard work and its going to take a lot of time. Also, with that comes the bittersweet of sacrifice, of parts of my life that I am going to have to change in order to succeed. But my grandfather has always told me “anything worth having is worth working hard for.” I am my biggest critic and supporter all in one. I know that the only person that can stop me from doing what I came to do is me. No one else has the