Jill's Journal: Here’s to the kid who tried hard but didn’t get awards

I have a hard time saying “no.” Especially when it comes to organizations and causes near and dear to my heart.

That’s where this week’s column enters. I’ll admit I held off for as long as I could, but when an urgent “S.O.S.” email from the South Dakota NewsMedia surfaced, I caved. The emergency was a call for volunteers to judge the Louisiana Press Association’s newspaper contest entries. It’s a courtesy thing that press associations do for one another. Simply put, you judge ours, we’ll judge yours.

I’ve been assigned to determine winners in the “Best Headline,” “Front pages” and “Columns” categories. The judging deadline, I must remind myself, is quickly approaching. 

Through this process, I came across this gem of a column, and in my opinion, it’s simply too good not to share. And while we’re on the heels of the state wrestling tournament and just about to step into the post-season of basketball, take a moment to digest the thoughts Jessica Saggio of St. Tammany, La., put into this column appropriately titled, “Here’s to the kid who tried hard but didn’t get awards.’

To the kid who tried hard this year, yeah you.

You know who you are. The one who didn’t take home a bunch of awards at the end of the school year. The one who isn’t automatically noticed because they’re naturally gifted, or talented or outspoken.

Maybe you didn’t make the local newspaper for some great thing you’ve done, or sport you played or idea you had.

Maybe you just tried hard this year. Like really hard. Something didn’t come easy for you, but you pushed and you worked at it and pushed and worked and pushed and worked until you got it. Or maybe you never got it, but you tried. Oh, how you tried.

They don’t always hand out awards for that, you know. Awards for the kids who aren’t necessarily exceptional, but still put in all the effort.

This column is for you.

While social media timelines explode as parents gush over children’s accolades at the end of the year, we can’t forget about the kids who growth wasn’t necessarily measured by metrics. The kids who overcame shyness or put in hours and hours to learn all 400 of those sight words. Or the kids who just could not get geometry, but they tried and they tried, and they never gave up.

Perhaps it’s a kid who works hard but isn’t always noticed. A kid who follows the rules but slips through the cracks because they aren’t a behavior problem. The kid who genuinely cares, but does so when others aren’t watching.

Those are the kids who are truly special, and here’s why.

The truth of the matter is trophies and medals and certificates end up in a box one day, collecting dust in an attic. High school letterman jackets are shoved in the back of a closet and plaques find their way as bookends on a shelf.

But determination? Persistence? Grit? Those are skills developed that stay with a person for a lifetime. They won’t always be recognized, but perhaps that’s what makes them more significant.

They form one’s character.

And what greater award is there than becoming a good person, one who cares and works hard and does the absolute best they can? What more can we ask of a kid than this?

Sure, they got a C in English. But how much effort was put in to get to that C? How dedicated were they to improving? It could have been an F, but they studied and did extra credit until they got it up to a C.

This is the time of year where I know it’s hard to be the kid who doesn’t feel flavored or who feels in adequate compared to their peers. We live in a world full of comparisons. Whether it’s standardized testing that compares how much we have. Comparison becomes a sickness in our culture, and a burden for our kids.

but I’m here to say that you’re enough, and you did an excellent job.

So to the kid who tried really hard this year, I’m proud of you. I’m glad you put in all that effort. I’m glad you studied hard. I’m glad you pushed yourself to try something new. I’m glad you overcame an obstacle.

That really means something. When you go to get a job one day, that effort will make you stand out. When you finally achieve the things you’re after, it will be that much sweeter. When you overcome that hardship, you’ll have a degree of empathy and insight that will set you apart.

People aren’t always born great. But it’s the ones who work for it that make a real impact on the world.

So, keep grinding. Keep trying. Stay the course. You’ll get where you want to go, because you’re the type that doesn’t give up.

And that means something. Even if they don’t put it on a trophy.