A Loyola Student is Becoming More Academically Excellent Jules Almazar, ‘16 February, 21, 2016 I wrote this speech the same way I wrote all of my English papers. I typed up my name and the date. I thought of a title, and then I got hungry. So, I ate for a bit. I took a nap. I cried a little and watched some Netflix, until I finally decided that it was time to finish. But if I’m going to be honest, I had no idea what to say. What is “Academically Excellent”? For the longest time, I thought that being academically excellent meant getting good grades and knowing a lot of stuff. In which case, then, yeah, I guess I had something to talk about. So, why I was I still struggling to write my speech? I read over the twenty-five points associated with “Academically Excellent” in the Grad at Grad, and nothing in particular struck me. Sure, I was organized. I do well in school, and I am genuinely proud of my accomplishments. I handle my own finances. Maybe, I spend a little too much on Chipotle, but that’s beside the point. I understand how the government works, and I appreciate literature and art. But I still didn’t know what to say. So, I resorted back to how I write my English papers, and called a friend. I asked how she wrote her “Academically Excellent” speech, hoping by some miracle that I would encounter an enlightenment. But I didn’t. And that’s when it hit me. What had I been doing the past four years here at Loyola and the years before that got me to where I am now? What had gotten all of us here at this very moment? Struggling. For the past four years, I have encountered my own share of hardships and challenges, all of which I, thankfully, overcame. And, I’m sure, that the same goes for you. The more I reflected on this topic, the more I began to understand that the reason why I had such a difficult time answering, “What is ‘Academically Excellent’?” is because I was attempting to view this Grad at Grad characteristic without taking into accounting its four counterparts, especially being “Open to Growth.” But really, the five Grad at Grad characteristics cannot exist without each other. Last year, I realized that I had never done a sport at Loyola, and it was probably better that way. As I looked back at the glory days of middle school, however, I remembered being part of basketball team and a flag football team. Granted, I did make one touchdown, and it was probably my proudest moment in the eighth grade. So, I told myself that this would be the year. Why not take up running? And, now that I have taken up running, I can give you many reasons why you shouldn’t. It was brutal. I’m sorry, Ms. Gilfillan and Mr. Donacik, but joining track wasn’t for me. I was sore and tired everyday. I remembered my first meet, and even today, it makes me want to hurl. I was getting ready to run an 800 meter dash in what felt like freezing temperatures in a singlet, which by the way provides very little, if any, warmth, and I wanted to just quit. The gun went off, and all of a sudden, my breathing changed, and I thought of nothing but the brownie that Stephanie promised to give me when and if I finished. And finish I did. Despite not being able to feel my legs, I did feel an odd sense of accomplishment and pride. And in that moment, the tiring practices that I attended were worth it. As I look back on this day, I realize that I had become more “Open to Growth” by struggling through or accomplishing a challenge that I had set for myself. Around the same time, I was struggling with something that might've been tougher than running an 800 meter race: physics. Mr. Donacik seems like the big winner here, I know, but he always finds a way to challenge his students, and I thank him for that. There were days when I would feel extremely frustrated with physics, not knowing how to even begin a problem. Mr. Donacik’s favorite advice, or “playing” with
the equation, simply didn't help. It felt like a race that would never end, and there was no brownie to look forward to. I didn't feel like struggling. I felt disappointed with myself and just decided to quit, slowly abandoning my homework. But this wasn't the solution; not struggling wasn't going to better my understanding of physics nor would it ignite any sense of passion for the subject. In fact, it was doing the opposite. So, I resolved to overcome my battle with physics. I channeled the energy and effort I dedicated to track and began to struggle again. I remember one instance when I heard the bell ring, which signified the beginning of a physics test, and my heart pumped of excitement and fear all at once. Regardless, I was determined to finish that test. And finish I did. While I can't say that my struggle with physics has ended, because of my perseverance to excel in the course, I am now more passionate about engineering, which is a career heavily related to physics. And in this moment, the long hours of work I did are worth it. Because of my struggle to become more “Open to Growth,” I was able to become more “Academically Excellent,” which isn't about knowing, instead, it is about not knowing, or the things in life that make you struggle, make you scared, or anxious, and overcoming these things. Because once you overcome them, you learn a bit more about your surroundings and a lot more about yourself, and in that moment, you are “Academically Excellent.” Through physics, I learned about my passion for engineering and through track, I learned that you should never put me in meet ever again. Thank you.