The scholarship committee room felt suffocating, every inch of it closing in on me like the walls were pressing tighter, a noose around my neck. I hadn’t been able to breathe properly since I stepped inside. My palms were sweaty, my heart pounding in my chest, and no matter how much I tried to steady myself, I couldn’t stop the tremble in my hands. I was sitting at a long, cold table, the scholarship board members facing me across the polished wood. The air between us felt thick with ...