"never giving up" - Purdue essay. best advice

This is for my purdue essay. please help. the topic is what is the best advice you've ever gotten and how do you apply it.

My dad taught me how to ride a bicycle when I was a little girl. I almost gave up from learning it because I fell a lot of times. I was so fed up and wanted to stop practicing, until he came up to me and asked, "Do you really want to ride a bike?" I told him that I want to ride it so I can go hang out with my friends on my bike. His reply still rings on my mind; "Then what is stopping you from doing what you want to do?" I stood up next to my bicycle and said, "It was too hard learning it because I kept falling." And my dad replied, "Well if you give up now, it will give up on you." That was the day I learned something from riding a bicycle: Never give up on anything. I hold on to that sentence until now.

I still remember how scary it was, walking through a hallway full of people speaking a language I could not understand. I moved to the United States from Indonesia when I was in 4th grade. I had to adapt in a completely new environment. In class, I was the only one who cannot talk English. All I understood was "yes" and "no." Every day, I came home crying because I couldn't understand what people around me were talking about. Being in an American School when you don't speak English is extremely hard. It was too difficult for me to make friends and do assignments. My teacher put me into ESL class and my mom taught me how to speak English a little bit as well. Learning English wasn't easy as I thought it would be. It was really exasperating to learn new words that I I'm not acquainted with. I told myself that I can do it and I can prove to everyone in my class that I can speak English because I did not want other students to have "oh-no not her" faces anymore when they were assigned in a group to work with me. I worked hard but it was still too difficult for me. I literally couldn't take it anymore until I told to my parents that I want to go back to Indonesia where I can be with my friends and able to understand them perfectly. Then my dad said nothing but smiled at me. He said, "If you really want to go back without anything, we could go back." The memory of learning to ride a bike came to my mind. I remember my dad's sentence and used it as a guide for me to decide. I have come this far and it's not the time to quit. Of course my life would have been much easier if I was to give up and go back to Indonesia. However, I wouldn't have gotten any international experiences and I will never understand English. I would have lost a lot more if I gave up. So I studied and worked hard each day until I can speak English fluently. Finally, after all the hard work, I made friends from all over the world, I understood what people were saying, I made good grades, and boys sent letters to me! I'm glad that I did not give up. The key is never giving up. I am sure that in the future, I can always get through any difficulties if I don't quit. My dad's advice works like magic.

Jessica, these are good ideas!


This is really powerful! I think it is a great way to help someone enter the correct state of mind.

Tell your dad I think he has a lot of wisdom!!

I love the ending. This is one of my favorite essays ever.

However, I wouldn't have gotten any international experiences, and I will would never have learned to understand English. I would have lost a lot more if I gave up. So, I studied and worked hard each day until I could speak English fluently.

Finally, after all the hard work, I made friends from all over the world, I understood what people were saying, I made good grades, and boys sent letters to me! --- good sentence!!

You can use a semi-colon here:
I'm glad that I did not give up; the key to _________ is never giving up.

:-)