INTOTHEBEST, Inc. Scholarship Semifinalist Danielle Rounick
Congratulations to Danielle Rounick from Lower Moreland High School
It was difficult selecting 8 semifinalists from 1,500 applications. There were many strong essays.
Danielle's Essay: Like vs. Respect:
As my history teacher, Mr. Pezza, strode into the room and up to the podium, the students of the class slowly began to quiet down. Soon after organizing himself, he started the day's lesson. Although he looked down at his notes occasionally, most of the students knew better. Mr. Pezza was a historical genius; he knew everything there was to know about history by heart. Mr. Pezza was respected by all, not only for his memory, but also for his involvement in the school, his care of the students, his professional but friendly manner, and his passion for teaching. While he was not always well liked for keeping the class at such a fast pace, there was no doubt that Mr. Pezza had earned the respect of both his students and his colleagues.
One of the reasons my history class was run so smoothly was because the students had respect for our teacher and his authority over the class. Similarly, anybody who earns respect from others has a pulpit to command attention and control tasks efficiently. While the importance that comes along with respect may not be something that everyone desires, it is something I value. I have found that to like people is not hard; anyone can make friends by being generous and courteous. But to be respected is a far more difficult task. To start to earn someone's respect, you must prove yourself worthy by doing something that others think is important, like taking charge of a project or doing a good deed for no reason. And while being well liked is nice, it is also unstable. Someone may like you one day, and then dislike you the next. Respect goes deeper; once someone has earned your respect, you are less likely to suddenly find them undeserving of it. You may not always respect the people that you like, but most of the time you tend to like, at least on some level, the people whom you respect.
I would hope that after reading my decision to be respected over being liked, others would consider whether or not they find me worthy of their respect. I am confident that my friends like me, but it is rare to think of a peer as someone who deserves respect. My decision would cause my friends to consider their opinions, and they would find many aspects about me that warrant their respect, along with their friendship. As a very determined, hard-working student, I would expect and hope that my teachers respected me as I respect most of them. Perhaps if they had never thought about it before, my decision might prompt them to examine me as a student and a person. Also, although my decision would influence what others think of me, I would want my answer to make people think about whether or not they are respectable people themselves. Those who worry about being nice and fitting in should think about what they do to command respect, and perhaps some would change their priorities. The more role models that exist for people to respect, the better the world becomes.
How IntotheBest's Essay Advice Helped Danielle
INTOTHEBEST's "Essay Advice" improved my writing in a variety of ways. The "What to say" section reminded me to focus the essay on my personality and to try and let the writing sound natural. The "My Style" section was helpful in forcing myself to get rid of many unnecessary words that would have cluttered the essay. The "My Style" section also allowed me to come up with an example of what I was trying to say so that I could incorporate it into my essay as an introduction to make the essay more interesting and easier to understand. The transition phrases helped me to vary my transitions, and I also tried to use several types of sentence structures to improve my essay's overall readability. I am glad I got a chance to read the "Essay Advice" section, and I feel it enhanced my writing.
Recommended reading
|
|
 |
|
