We just had to share the fantastic guest article that Brilliant Club Ambassador and Sociology student Stallan Da Silva wrote for The Scholar 20, the latest edition of our academic journal.
Stallan took part in The Scholars Programme when he was in Year 12 at St Wilfrid’s Catholic Comprehensive School in Crawley. He is currently studying Sociology at the University of Bristol and has just entered his second year. In his guest article, Stallan talks about overcoming setbacks in his personal life and educational journey, and the importance of embracing life’s challenges.
Stallan Da Silva, Brilliant Club Ambassador
When I was in secondary school, I broke one of the brackets on my braces. After repairing it, my orthodontist told me I would have my braces on for an extra six months. For fifteen-year-old me this was a disaster of the greatest magnitude – six more months of braces! Looking back on it now, the situation was a minor inconvenience at best; but at the time it had disrupted the plans I had for my appearance – a massive setback.
In all our lives setbacks are inevitable. Whether it’s professional disappointments, academic underperformance or personal issues, we all have moments when life feels challenging. I have found that while these challenges can be frustrating in the moment, they also hold the potential to teach us lessons and make us stronger.
Many of us have heard the famous stories of people who overcame failure to achieve greatness: Einstein didn’t begin reading until he was seven; Walt Disney was told he ‘lacked imagination’; and twenty-seven different publishers rejected Dr Seuss after he wrote his first book. From a personal standpoint, I have experienced setbacks far worse than my braces debacle five years ago.
As an A-level student, the pandemic was hard for me – tackling a notoriously stressful part of life while experiencing unprecedented social circumstances made for a difficult period. In such moments, I was thankful to have a strong support system around me. My parents, siblings, friends and teachers provided a strong base to rely on, giving me comfort, perspective and advice. Whether it was a reassuring chat with a teacher after a tough week, a game night with my siblings to lift my spirits, or words of encouragement from friends who were going through the same struggles, these connections became a lifeline.
From this time, I learned to see challenges as an opportunity to pick up new skills. I began exploring ways to deal with stress and even developed better time-management habits as I adapted to studying independently. Looking back, these small but significant steps helped me build resilience and confidence, proving that even in difficult times, growth is possible.
I have found that after an issue arises, focusing solely on what went wrong can be tempting. Feeling sad or angry is natural when things don’t go your way. However, it is important to avoid being too critical of yourself. By accepting the situation and how it makes you feel, you give yourself the space to process it and start looking for solutions.
“An adventure film without any obstacles would make for a dull watch – it is the journey that makes such stories interesting.”
Typically, a solution can come about by breaking the problem down into manageable pieces. From here, you can change your perspective from focusing on failure to supplementing growth and development. Finally, remember that challenges are what make life interesting.
If you were playing a video game and knew you couldn’t lose, the game would get boring quite quickly. In the same way, an adventure film without any obstacles would make for a dull watch – it is the journey that makes such stories interesting. By utilising this mindset, I have learned to use setbacks to help me gain insights into what I can improve about myself.
In The Scholar 20, you will find 27 excellent assignments by some of the brightest students in the UK. They are a testament to the crucial work The Brilliant Club does – widening access to university for those from underrepresented groups. This leads to a fairer, more equal education system.
I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to be part of their Scholars Programme – it helped build my confidence and improve my understanding of life as a university student. I can proudly say I am a graduate of the programme and I’m so glad to see the amazing work that is still coming from students who are part of The Brilliant Club.
No doubt the students featured here experienced setbacks when completing their assignments. But the quality of their work tells me that they were able to overcome them, and I imagine they learned a couple of things about themselves on the way.