Oakland Technical High freshman Carmen Zheng on the perseverance of Americans

Carmen Zheng, a freshman at Oakland Technical High School, earned the Honorable Mention prize and $250 in the fourth annual Being An American Essay Contest along with Middle College High School senior Jennifer Chong. The national competition is sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute, an educational nonprofit based near Washington, D.C. Zheng shares her essay below.

Being an American embodies many different ideals and values, but perseverance is the most essential. It means never giving up in spite of obstacles that may surface along the way. Rather than happening to stumble upon luck, perseverance requires true effort and willpower. Every major historical accomplishment achieved in the United States called for perseverance and the strength to try harder. In fact, America would not be what it is today without people constantly striving to make it a better place. As Americans, we channel perseverance through commitment and will not falter until we have achieved our aspirations.

The Constitutional Convention is proof of what our Founding Fathers had gone through to lay the groundwork of a new and growing nation. As quoted from John Adams, “Liberty must at all hazards be supposed. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood.” The delegates persevered throughout the summer of 1787 to create a document that would “form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty.” It is these vital words that make up the introduction for the Constitution, form the backbone of our nation, and shape the course of American history. Without them, the American nation would have been a building without its supporting foundation.

A famous American who persevered during difficult times was the very first African American to serve on the Supreme Court Justice system, Thurgood Marshall. After being rejected from law school because of his race, Marshall fought desperately to prove himself before the justice system rather than giving up. He wanted to show that justice could be both dealt and received by all, regardless of race and skin color. Marshall continued to win most of the cases he argued before the Supreme Court. He believed that the law must protect the rights of African Americans and whites equally. Marshall’s views and opinions were turned down multiple times just because he was black, but he never backed down and eventually became the Chief Counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1940. In 1967, he achieved his dream – serving as a Supreme Court justice. Because Marshall had not given up, he became a role model to many African Americans who looked up to him as an example for exercising the freedoms that they had previously been barred from. Thurgood Marshall’s appointment as the Supreme Court judge marked one of the greatest turning points in American history, due to his determination and perseverance.

As with these historical examples, I personally experienced the act of being faced with obstacles and ultimately overcoming them. When I was eight years old, my mother enrolled me in swimming classes at our local YMCA. Initially, I was overwhelmed with fear and a lack of confidence. The swimming styles and techniques that we learned were too difficult for me to master. I struggled to keep up with the rest of the class and wanted to give up. But I decided to regard this challenge as motivation instead of discouragement. I stayed behind after each class to practice various strokes repeatedly until I perfected them. That was when I realized that the ability to swim is not a natural-born talent, but a learned skill. It takes practice, patience, and perseverance to become a good swimmer. Soon after, I joined the YMCA swim team and participated in many swim meets, where I won gold, silver, and bronze medals. Because I persevered through hard times, my hard work paid off in the end. I can look back on the past with pride because now I love to swim for both competitions and for recreation.

Perseverance held a strong presence in American history and can be found in everyone, as long as you choose to tap into it. Our country would be vastly different if our Founding Fathers had not persevered in writing the Constitution. Things would also have been different if Thurgood Marshall had not accomplished his goals and proved that through hard work and determination, anything is possible. The act of thinking, “I can accomplish this,” makes goals more achievable. Perseverance is the one civic value that defines our nation and the people of this country making it a better place.