"Everything happens for a reason," my mother said as I cried after not getting into the high school of my choice, losing the Student Government presidential election, and getting rejected from my dream college. These words have been the guiding mantra of my life, or more specifically, my academic career. For the grander part of my time on earth, I have been a student. I love school, but the lessons that went beyond the classroom were sometimes overwhelming. From the loneliness, the taunting, and the failures, I learned to adopt "Ad Maiora," or "towards greater things," as a mantra that I reflect on daily.

         I was always under a cloud of self-doubt. My biggest enemy has always been myself. This changed when I realized I didn't have to be so hard on myself. I recognize the stress I am always under and how a lot of it was self-induced. I've always held myself to impossible standards, but I've learned this is toxic and unrealistic. In my first semester of college, during a pandemic, I took a five-credit math class. It was asynchronous, which means I had to teach myself the material. It was very difficult, especially because I was taking five other classes, I had a job, and it was during a pandemic, which needs to be emphasized. I poured all my effort into that class. I would do well, but then I'd notice a grade I was not too proud of (which means I got a B) in another class. I went to tutoring, I reached out to older classmates, and I emailed my professor, but to no avail. I ended the class with 89%. I was crushed. I felt this was a feat I could tackle, especially because I am very insecure about my math abilities. I cried for about an hour that afternoon, but I had to move on because I had another final after I found out my final grade. As much as I wanted to get the 90% in the class, I realized that to get an 89% in a five-credit, college-level math course was incredible. I always asked for extra help in this subject, but I was alone for the most part this time. I still overcame the challenge in my way. With everything being on a virtual landscape, the transition from high school to college was shocking, and I didn't have the support of a friend group or even classmates to get through it. The final score helped me realize that sometimes adversity can teach more than success does.

          Overall, most of my experiences have helped me develop a thicker skin. When I lost the aforementioned school-wide election when I was a junior in high school, I was pretty devastated. At first, it was because I lost and I had worked so hard to win, but I also went through some difficult days for the rest of the year in school. People picked sides, and I was left out. Some schoolmates made a lot of fun of me, and I heard many unfavorable comments about me. I accepted it all because summer was coming around and I was already removing myself from all those situations, so I could hold on for a bit longer. It was hard, though, to see classmates I thought were friends, sharing memes slandering my character. I ran against a popular girl, whose last name exemplified an SGA dynasty. The day after I lost, my dad got a phone call from one of his friends, who knew about the election. He asked how it was going, and my dad recalled sighing, followed by "Ay, she didn't win." His friend replied, "That's amazing." My dad didn't understand, but his friend continued to explain that it was good to experience a significant loss during a formative stage of my life. He felt that it was good to lose because it would help me prepare for the future. I this of this conversation all the time because he was right.

          I know a thing or two about "failing" at something. I've learned, from various endeavors, that one can never really fail at anything, as long as you have the right attitude. It took me a while to recognize the paradigm, but once experienced, it changed my outlook on everything. For example, when I got rejected from my dream college,  I decided the best place for me was Miami Dade Honors College. It has been one of the best experiences thus far.  I have gotten the chance to excel academically and have been offered life-changing opportunities. When I was first rejected from my first choice of college, I was pretty sad. I focused on my shortcomings- everything I didn't do to maximize my chances of getting in. I sulked at the idea of studying more for the SATs, or on how much more involved I could've been in my extracurriculars, or how much more personal my essays could have been. At the end of the day, none of that matters to me anymore. I ended up where I was meant to be, and this has been true for what I have accomplished since then. 

              I believe in "Ad Maiora." My parents first introduced me to this belief. As immigrants, they endured a lot of unfair situations, with only the support of each other. They always managed to see past the hardships. Daily, I am reminded of the obstacles I have overcome. Though I was focused on what is perceived as the "best," these obstacles not only strengthened my character but also illuminated my path "towards greater things." 

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