Yetunda Taylor '22 Recruiting Profile

Grass Is Greener On The Other Side

A moment of despair. A feeling of failure. I was sitting at a table with a paper in front of me wondering what to do with it. Nobody around me helped me. That’s when I realized my education is in my own hands. Since then I started to ask more questions and to stick my neck out for myself to get help with things I didn’t understand. My academic failures at a young age transformed me into a driven, goal-oriented, and strong individual who knows the value of education.

In the second grade, I received my first D. I wanted to give up. I lost all hope. I felt like a kid on a rainy day who could not go outside to play. My teacher walked up to me and asked about my failing grade. I looked at her puzzled. As I fixed my mouth to say something, she stopped me right in my tracks. This made me realize that people do believe in me and have high expectations for me. After this experience, I started to believe in myself, and I started to set goals and to do whatever I needed to do to achieve them. I’ve become more independent and focused.

In 8th grade, I was on the honor roll, but I wasn’t satisfied with my class ranking. I was ranked 3rd, and I was so furious because I was 1% away from having an A. So, I decided to complete extra credit a week before the grade book locked. I did it and showed it to my teacher. However, I didn’t make it in time. I was so angry. My heart got so heavy, my eyes got watery, and my voice was squeaky. I felt disappointed in myself, but I just accepted my grade for what it was. Because of this, I started to complete my assignments early, I have become more self-motivated, and I haven't given up on myself since. My mindset has become stronger.

From that day forward, I started to read more. I asked more questions when I wasn’t sure. Also, I realized I could not let those setbacks stop me from getting to where I wanted to be in life. Finally, I was reassured that failure is a part of success.

In 9th grade, I started to become more successful. Freshman year I played basketball, volleyball, and ran track. I received Rookie of the Year for basketball, I won the Most Improved Player for the track, and I showed up to practice early and stayed late. I put a lot of effort into the track; I was coachable, I listened to what my coach told me, and I never talked back. I was invited to play on the varsity volleyball team for the following season. My sophomore year was crazy, but I still finished strong. I was inducted into the National Honors Society (NHS) because I was a leader in the school. For example, I was elected president freshman year, I gave a speech for the seniors, I did a panel, I planned trips and events for students, and I had the highest GPA, and I had good communication skills. Junior Year I was captain of the Volleyball and Basketball Teams. I was so excited to receive the recognition that I worked hard for. Also, I was chosen to be a Peace Warrior. Peace Warriors are a group of students and staff members that follow the principles of Kingian Nonviolence. For example, “ attack forces of evil not persons doing evil”. Also, “ Accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve the goal”. As a Peace Warrior, I’ve trained elementary school students on the principles of nonviolence and I also got to lead peace circles to resolve the conflict between students. Becoming a Peace Warrior has impacted my life in many ways such as becoming more social, it helped to build my leadership skills, and it’s made my life more peaceful because I’ve applied the principles of nonviolence into my everyday life. 

Covid-19 happened at the end of sophomore year. My school was closed, and I had to learn virtually for the remainder of the school year. Learning over the computer was difficult, but as time went on, I adapted to it and mastered it. When we first started virtual learning I lost motivation for school. I would join the class and just listen and wouldn’t do any work. As time went on, I started to get comfortable with learning virtually; I would do all my work and I started to understand what my teachers were teaching. 

From second grade to now, I have made progress. I went from just doing enough to get by to going above and beyond to succeed. I am a hard worker, a leader, goal-oriented, self-motivated, resilient, and strong-minded individual. Now, when I'm faced with a challenge, I face it head-on and find a way to succeed. Failure has only motivated me to strive for better, and I will be better.