I believe in perseverance.
When I saw a Cub Scout video in first grade, I knew right away that I wanted to join. I liked my first few years with the organization; even after I switched to a different troop, I remained committed to becoming a Boy Scout.
However, after my first few years as a Boy Scout, my resolve faded. Cold and rainy camping trips, grueling hikes, and weeks at primitive summer camps took their toll on me, and I wanted to give up and find another activity on which to spend my time. I was progressing steadily toward my goal of Eagle Scout, but it was hard to see the destination at the time. I only felt the misery of my frozen fingers on every frigid excursion.
My dad was the first person who pushed me to finish what I started. He warned me that I’d regret joining the legions who gave up on Boy Scouts in their teenage years, with little to show for the years they’d invested. I grudgingly listened, plugging on and assuming leadership roles until I advanced just one rank shy of Eagle Scout. The goal was close at hand, and I started to watch friends I’d been in Scouts with since the beginning advance to the position I coveted.
But when I was 13, my brother and I switched troops again, this time to one closer to our home. I struggled to find my place in the new troop, and remained at the same rank for years. Although I eventually settled into the rhythm of the troop, it took me until my last year of high school – and my last year of eligibility for Boy Scouts – to finally reach Eagle Scout.
I made the last push to achieve my goal with little time left, but by waiting, I was able to appreciate the lasting impact of what I had done. By finishing a journey at 17 that I’d started at six, I learned the true value of perseverance: the power of not only achieving a goal, but adding merit to the goal because of its difficult path.
After I matriculated to Penn State, I began writing for the Daily Collegian, and I used my experience with perseverance to make each of my stories better than the last. I never settled for gaps in my knowledge, interviews, or research, and I made sure my articles were as well-written as any I’d finished before. I persevered and battled to achieve what I wanted, and while my career hasn’t always taken the turns I wanted, it’s still better than than the emptiness I would have if I quit.