Back when we were kids, a pretty popular commercial about “marshmallow kids” was often on TV. Children were given one marshmallow each; the premise was that they could eat the mallows right away, or have another one if they opted to wait. I was a little too old to have the marshmallow test done on me by then, but my aunt apparently did it on my sister Nikka, and she decided to wait a little longer for one more, passing the test with flying colors.
Unlike my sister, who was the type who studied on a Friday night, I’d never been much of a marshmallow kid. Back in grade school and for most of high school, my homework was done erratically, depending on the subject (I hated math, loved English, was on the fence about science because I was allergic to anything that involved computations but liked reading about how things work). Things changed in my freshman year at college, when I decided to take some responsibility for my life. I’m still nowhere near being totally in charge of things, but somewhere along the way, I grew up.
The past year was like an extended marshmallow test, except that I didn’t know if I was going to have one, two, or none at all at the end of the period. I was accepted to Columbia March last year, only to find out that there was no way I was going to be able to pay for the staggering cost of the tuition. I opted to defer for a year to buy time to look for scholarships (and beef up my credentials so I could actually deserve them). It was a crazy, crazy year, loaded with drama, self-doubt, and plenty of prayers.
A few days ago, I got an email from the school, telling me that I was given a substantial scholarship. I was in the pre-departure area of NAIA, waiting to board, when I got the news. Upon reading it, I broke down and started sobbing. I couldn’t believe the news! In fact, I was so paranoid, I emailed them right away to thank them, but also to confirm that the figure they listed used a comma and not a decimal. Today, I got their confirmation—and along with it, blessed relief.
The situation got me thinking: what if I had gotten the scholarship from the start? Would I appreciate it just as much, or would I have felt entitled to it in the first place? Would I have put in as much thought and planning into the process? Would I have wanted it as much as I do now? Probably not. Like I said, I was never a marshmallow kid. But circumstances forced me to be a marshmallow grownup, and I’m glad that I had to learn to be one. The payoff feels infinitely more rewarding.
Congratulations.
Either way you look at it, you would still feel blessed on being given one. Regardless if you waited or you planned for the scholarship or not.
It was a blessing I had never expected, and I hope I can repay things somehow
thank you!
Congrats!