Diocesan Scholars Interview Report

“That’s a rare combination,” my disciplinarian told me during my interview for the Diocesan Scholars Program.
Toward the end of each year, the top students in each junior class in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are eligible to interview to take college courses during their senior year for no cost. When the time for my interview came, I exuded nerves. Sure, everyone had told me there was no doubt that I would be accepted into the program, but I knew my fellow students were just as qualified.
Into the room, I went, to be greeted by the familiar faces of faculty: the Assistant Principal for Academic Affairs, the Assistant Principal for Student Affairs, and the disciplinarian. Now, I almost never had a reason to talk to these people, so I lacked
any relationships with them. Hope was my only friend at that moment.
I believe the question pertained to what I believed my strengths were. In response, I spoke about how I am both creative and analytical. I have always been strong in math, and at the same time, I have loved writing, words, and creating. Discussing these typically mutually exclusive subjects in the same thought has always felt natural to me; I didn’t think twice saying it. Hearing my disciplinarian tell me how rare it was to find that combination reminded me how atypical I am.
The interview ended. I went back to class, and I felt pretty confident with how the interview went.
A few weeks later, everyone who interviewed for the program was called to the Office of Academic Affairs. This was the day I would find out.
As Dr. Rigby read off the names of those accepted in alphabetical order, I waited in anticipation. Then she read off McCarthy. All I could desperately think is, “Lyons. You skipped Lyons. Please.”
I was shattered this time as I walked to class.
Everyone had been so confident in me; I couldn’t understand why now. I had let them all down, but most importantly I had let myself down. Was it that I didn’t have enough impressive service because for the past year and a half I had helped my father rehab our entire house? Was it that I didn’t have a job because of volleyball, dance, school, and family responsibilities?
No one had the answer for me.
The only thing I could do now was wait for a miracle.
On a random morning during homeroom, I got a call slip to go to the Office of Academic Affairs. My heart pounded. Was this it? Had my miracle finally appeared?
When I arrived there, I saw the familiar faces of others who had been rejected. After fighting for us students who only wanted to succeed in life, Dr. Rigby had been able to obtain a few more open spots for the program. I was ecstatic.
The drama of the application process was slightly overwhelming, but the outcome was worth it. I am taking courses that I would never have been able to take at my high school, I am learning about subjects that matter to me, and because I was initially rejected, I work even harder to achieve my goals.
Rejection is terrible, but I have learned that something bright typically results from it; all you need is a little hope. That is my goal in life: to bring hope to those who feel that they have
none.