I remember when I was first introduced to the concept of a growth mindset at my community college by my English instructor, Professor Bonilla. No one in the class entirely liked her—most didn’t appreciate her straightforward, no-nonsense attitude. Some students gossiped behind her back, calling her harsh and complaining that she put them on the spot too often. Many felt she took things too seriously and made our Comprehensive Reading & Writing course unnecessarily difficult. But for some reason, I admired her. She had the kind of attitude I wanted; she didn’t care what others thought of her and pushed us to think critically about issues beyond our own lives. She taught me concepts about learning that I carried with me to UC Berkeley and still apply today. One of the most important lessons she gave me was the idea of a growth mindset.
A growth mindset is the belief that abilities, intelligence, and talents can be developed through dedication, hard work, and learning. It contrasts with the belief that these traits are fixed and unchangeable. For me, adopting a growth mindset has been foundational to personal development because it fosters resilience, adaptability, and continuous learning. It empowers individuals to overcome challenges and view failures as opportunities to grow. For example, when I returned to community college at 27 with just a year of sobriety under my belt, I didn’t think college was for me. I doubted my intelligence and found all my courses challenging. My goal at the time was simply to get through my classes and earn an associate’s degree.
At that point, I had what’s called a fixed mindset, which is the belief that intelligence and abilities are static and can’t be changed. It’s a mindset many people have when trying something new. Common thoughts include: “If I fail at something, it means I’m not good at it,” or “Effort is pointless if I don’t succeed immediately.” But Professor Bonilla helped me shift my perspective. She encouraged me to replace thoughts like “I’m bad at writing” with “I can improve my English skills with practice and effort.” With a little faith and an open mind, I began to improve.
Professor Bonilla went above and beyond for her students. She met with me one-on-one to review outlines for papers and discuss personal challenges I was facing – like caring for my grandmother with dementia, who passed away during my time in her class. Despite these hardships, I didn’t quit or take a break from school. Instead, Bonilla instilled in me the idea that diligence and education could help me prevail. She gave me the courage to grow. She even guided me through my transfer applications to UCs. While I didn’t get into all my first-choice schools, I ultimately landed at UC Berkeley, a destination in life I couldn’t be happier with. Even better, I discovered a passion for writing as a medium for self-expression and learning.Since starting at UC Berkeley, I’ve carried the idea of a growth mindset with me. It has allowed me to think critically, take risks, and pursue dreams I never thought possible. Coming from someone who spent over a decade drinking, using substances, and partying, I never imagined I’d amount to anything.
A growth mindset can lead to increased resilience in facing challenges. If you’re in a similar place in life—trying something new but not yet seeing the results you hoped for – keep going. If you’re working toward something you’re passionate about, give yourself time to learn and grow. Life can feel limited as we get older; sometimes I wish I had more time to work on this blog or develop multimedia skills or even finish my memoir. But progress happens one task – one day at a time.
One key strategy I want you to take away from this blog: embrace challenges. Even the world’s most successful people faced failures before they succeeded. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team but used that failure as motivation to practice harder – and eventually became one of the greatest athletes in history. J.K. Rowling faced multiple rejections from publishers for Harry Potter. At one point, she was broke, divorced, and nearly homeless – but she persevered because she believed in her story’s potential. Your abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. View challenges as opportunities to learn and grow; embrace the idea that effort leads to improvement.
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