The lessons that we learn from hard work are often the most valuable result of that work. Accomplishments after long periods of striving are admirable, but what is learned from those efforts helps people mature and realize their strengths and faults. I am well acquainted with challenges and goals, mostly in an academic context. When my teachers marked me as “gifted” at a young age, I embarked on a lifelong path of challenging classes and high expectations. Junior year has...