Elevate Mental Health Awareness Scholarship

“So here’s all of the homework you guys have for today, have a good weekend,” my 7th-grade science teacher announced when the bell was ringing. “Wait, Mr. Martinez, can you explain to me what “Define the following terms” means?” I asked my teacher. “You simply search the meaning of each word and write it down,” Mr. Martinez told me. “I am so sorry, but I don’t understand. Mr. Martinez, could you call my mother and tell her what I should do for the homework? She speaks English,” I humbly requested Mr. Martinez. As a result, we spent 5 minutes using a phone call to explain to my mother about my homework and utilized Google Translate to translate “Definition” into Mandarin, which was my first language. Life hadn’t been easy since I landed in America. The cultural and language barrier hindered my social ability. It was extremely difficult for me to not only talk with classmates in English but also choosing an interesting topic that they cared about. After several months, I simply gave up every hope in my social life since I didn’t know what to talk with others besides grades and schoolwork. Students here played different games as I did, and they loved using social media, which I did not like. Moreover, different ethnic groups stayed in their circle in my school. Hispanic talked with Hispanic immigrants, white talked to native Miamian, and black hanged out with black. Unfortunately, there was no “Asian” circle, since there were less than five of us in school. As a result, I began to have depression and believe that I was a life loser who didn’t have the social skills most people possessed. The perpetuating depression constrained me to live inside my apartment all day long, playing video games and watching comic books. I completely gave up my life because it was impossible for me to adopt this new normality in the exotic land. Everything was transformed after I practiced the SAT. Every day, I spent all my free time to enhance my math and reading skills required by the test. My life was left with cooking for meals, sleeping, exercising, and studying. I began to realize that a lack of social activity was not a big problem. Instead of hanging out with friends in a movie theater, I preferred to do all the housework and improve my knowledge in fields that interested me. I was convinced by my improving test performance when the result was sent back to me. SAT taught me that it was more consequential to focus on my personal development than complaining about my poor social life. As a result, I now dedicate my time to studying, exercising, sleeping, and cooking because they were the only activities I need. I am gaining more knowledge and living happier ever since, and I no longer look down on myself just because of my inferior networking pool. I believe in the vast options of life and strive to embark on my unique path. To alleviate the stress of adopting into a new environment, I help the son of my mother’s colleague that have recently moved here. I inform him of the importance of tracking test dates and explain to him how the class schedule of the American high school worked. With my help, he was getting on track with his graduation requirement and understanding any English forms that he may have to fill. I believe my support has prevented him from going on the same track that I went before taking the SAT. To me, it is a pleasure to help other people that need my help in consulting school issues. I have experienced the depression of having no outside support in a new environment, and I will not let it happen again.