Reflective Essay: Middle School

I still remember sitting on the bleachers anxiously waiting for my name to be called. I waited with hope up until the very end, yet my name did not get called. I had not made it to State again for National History Day for the third time in a row. All of my peers have advanced to the State level, but every year I would be faced with disappointment again. I cried feeling disappointed in myself. After all of my hard work failed again. I thought that I had failed. Year after year, throughout middle school, I would try again, taking criticism by the judges and using it to improve my new research project. I felt that somehow I was not as smart as my friends who had all advanced to State. But each year, there was a different theme, and another opportunity to try again.
One thing that I have never done was give up. Although I was frustrated and sad, when it was time to begin a new research I never hesitated to start again. I invested in History Day by staying after school every day, spending weekends at school, and researching over Thanksgiving and Christmas break. I remember losing track of time researching
I had poured my heart and soul out into researching and finally challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone. The previous three years I have opted to present my information in easy forms, such as writing a paper, and creating an exhibit board. This time was different. I challenged myself to create a documentary, which I avoided in the past because I felt intimidated by the complexity of it. Although I proved myself wrong when I discovered a new passion of mine, video editing. What I learned from this experience is that there is always room for improvement. I learned to never give up for what I loved. It taught me how to become a fighter. It took four years of late night research, tears, and frustration for me to realize that failing is fine, and failing is not the end of the