Resilience Through Failure

In high school, I was obsessed with making sure people thought I was smart. I only ever got A's on my report card. I never knew anything else.

In early high school, I struggled with math. I tried and tried but seemed to never get that A on my exams. So, after each exam, I would ask my teacher if I could meet with her to discuss what I did wrong. I was not seeking any remediation for the points I missed; I just wanted to make sure I was understanding what I needed too even if it did take another try.

The first time I met with my geometry teacher, I came prepared: I wrote out detailed explanations about what I did wrong and what was the right approach. I sat nervously with her as I talked through my explanations. She asked me questions about my work, and explained that she was proud of me for trying to understand and for being resilient.

As our meeting continued, I felt increasingly more confident in myself. I became less nervous with my teacher.

At the end of our meeting, she gave me a hug. I was definitely not expecting that. Frankly, I always though math teachers were kind of mean and scary, so this was shocking to me.

Then, to my surprise, she said that she would give me full credit for my exam. I was so thankful and relieved. I was back to my streak of A's, now with an appreciation for trying again and a new-found confidence in myself. I overcame meeting with who I thought was a scary teacher to talk about my failures, and walked away beaming with pride.

Many years later, I used those lessons I learned then to help me get my engineering degree. I went from struggling with math, to learning and applying it to help those around me. I still have so much more to learn, but am equipped to deal with whatever comes my way.

Maybe you just took an exam or quiz that you felt went not the way you were expecting it to. Maybe you are preparing for one right now. Maybe you are scared to go to office hours because you feel scared to talk to your professor or TA. Wherever you may be, remember to be confident in yourself and your journey.

Academia is a long road. There will be hills and valleys. Your only job is to keep moving and keep learning. Be proud of how far you have come and be excited for where you will go from here.

Written by Catherine Cavey, ACS DEI Representative on 9/16/2025