Airman Scholarship Essay

Personal Essay

When I turned fourteen I took a serious interest in basketball my freshman year of high school. I quickly found out that the harder I worked, the more successful I became. I spent countless hours at the gym, park, and my own driveway practicing my skills to perfection. I was obsessed with success, and refused to fail. Upon graduating high school, I received an athletic scholarship to play division two basketball at Our Lady of the Lake University, in my hometown, San Antonio, Texas. After my freshman year of college, I joined the Air Force to support my wife, Adriana, and my daughter, Anabelle. I soon graduated basic military training and made my way up to Missouri getting stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base. I worked hard to

I easily adjusted to my base, learning my job and performing it well. As time passed, I became eligible to receive a promotion called senior airman below the zone. The promotion was given to the top airman first class that show the most discipline, self-improvement, and leadership. Each eligible airman was to be put in front of a board along with their packet to be judged by the squadron’s leadership. Each packet contained what that airman had done to earn the promotion such as: volunteering, attending classes, performing well at work and showing leadership. Winning the promotion was very important to me because not only would I be able to reach my next rank quicker, but my pay would increase and, I would receive more respect from my peers and

On the outside, I smiled, but on the inside, I was jealous, and furious. I was supposed to win, and I felt cheated. The reason I didn’t get the promotion was because I was unable to represent myself in front of the board due to my assignment. In the ensuing weeks, my attitude changed. Angry and bitter, I stopped volunteering and participating in additional duties. All the hard work I put in led to nothing but failure and heartbreak; the sacrifices I made, the time spent, I could never get back. I remained this way until I realized that the anger and bitterness was only dragging me down. I wasn’t myself. For someone who grew up craving success, I was fully aware of people like Michael Jordan, who was cut from his high school varsity team, and Bill Gates, a Harvard University drop out. Both went on to become the greatest the world has ever known in each of their respective careers; neither let failure stop them. Striving for success brought out the best in me. Though I didn’t receive a promotion, I am seen as a leader due to my additional duties. Volunteering was also beneficial, as I learned respect, and humility. Today I have successfully used my failure as a catalyst to achieve my goal of retraining to be a K9 dog handler in the Air Force. In a way I am glad I didn’t receive the promotion; I learned that failure is the composition of