"Introducing Me" - UPenn Supplement Essay (Optional)

The following is my response to the optional short essay of UPenn's supplement. Any feedback is appreciated.

Optional short essay (approximately 150 words): introduce yourself to Penn. Our aim is to better understand how your identity, talents, and background guide your day-to-day experiences.

I've been known to drift; go through different phases. Growing up I always perceived this aspect of myself as a hindrance of sorts. While I would observe my friends and peers continuing different specific pursuits, I was struggling to find things I liked enough to stick with. What I ceased to realize until recently, though, was that with each new interest and its subsequent failure to sustain my absorption, I was defining myself. In today's world there are so many different fields of interest, and I think it a shame that we are traditionally exposed to so little of them. I perceive there to be an underlying presence of ignorance in disregarding things without first experiencing them for yourself. In having participated in so many different activities, I'm confident that those to which I'm currently committed have naturally taken form with time and are of my true passions and talents.

Growing up I always perceived this aspect of myself as a hindrance of sorts.
This sentences confuses me. Why would you be hindrance if you were observing others develop specific pursuits?

I was struggling to find things I liked enough to stick with.
This uses the passive voice (not recommended) and stick with is a little too casual sounding.

Otherwise great concept to get across!

Thanks for the critique! I just revised it to read:

"I've been known to drift; go through different phases, and growing up I always perceived this aspect of myself as a hindrance of sorts. While I would observe my friends and peers continuing different specific pursuits, I struggled to find things I liked enough to stick with."