Experience being given a gold award in class for academic excellence

Reflective Essay This essay will describe my experience when I was given a gold award in for academic excellence. This event brought so much meaning in my life and I want to share it with you. I was a grade 6 student in a public school in our city. It was the day before our last day in school and I was so excited because that was the day when our teacher will announce the three top students in our grade level. I knew I was one of the candidates but I was not sure whether I could make it to the top three. I woke up early that day, not having slept the whole night because of excitement. When I arrived in school, teacher was just about ready to announce the top three students. She started by announcing the bronze medalist. My hands were as cold as ice. I was hoping that my name will be called but I felt sad when the name of the bronze medalist was not mine. She then announced the silver medalist. By that time, I was already as pale as a ghost because of anxiety. Still, I was not the silver medalist. At this point, my last and only hope was that I would be the gold awardee. I prayed fervently as if it was my last prayer. I was already having butterflies in my stomach. Then, the announcement came, “ The gold awardee for this year is …” Yes! I was the gold medalist, the top student in class! I felt I was floating in air. I jumped for joy as if I had ants in my pants. The cheers of my classmates were deafening. My efforts at studying hard every day were not futile. My efforts paid-off. Now, I have an ace up in my sleeve. And as my dad put it, “ Now son, you have another feather in your cap!” The following day was the awarding ceremony. My face was as bright as the sun this time. Even the weather was complimenting my feelings inside because the sun seemed to be smiling at me too. The school auditorium was packed with students and teachers. When my name was called, I went to the stage as fast as a race car. My mother and father proudly placed the gold medal on me. I can see in their faces that it was as if they hit the jackpot. When I recited my acceptance speech, my voice was cracking and I was close to tears. I thanked my parents, my teachers and my classmates. That moment was very meaningful to me because I knew that my parents were very proud of my achievement. My parents have always been my tower of strength. I know that I have brought them joy. I also felt my classmates were so happy for me. Everyone at school congratulated me. I was the happiest person on earth at that time. For me, nothing compares to the experience of receiving an award for academic excellence. Though there were many sleepless nights of studying, there was indeed a light at the end of the tunnel. It felt good to be rewarded for the efforts I put into my studies. The gold medal is an inspiration to me to always strive to do my best in anything that I do. I do not intend to rest on my laurels. I understand that life has many ups and downs. I may not always be a gold medalist but I can always look back at that part of my life when once I felt I was on top of the world.