My advice: get involved by Allie

My advice: get involved by Allie - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

My advice is to find something or somethings that you love and stick with it. Also, giving back to the community is nice. In fourth grade, I started to play the viola, which made me the person who I am today. My friends are all in a music ensemble, and my major has changed because of it. I also started Girl Scouts in fourth grade. I've gotten my bronze, silver, and recently my gold award. For my Girl Scout Gold Award Project, I decided to take on the topic of music education and its benefits on a student’s mind, and why it shouldn’t be criticized or neglected. On May 31st at Sweet Home Middle School, second and third graders from across the Sweet Home District came to a music “workshop”, eager to learn what being a student musician is about
So why is music education important? What effects does it have on a student? While I was doing my research, I found some interesting facts. Because of being exposed to musical instruments, the brain works a lot harder than it normally does (which gets tasks done faster), positivity shows more in the personality, helps language skills (along with speech), and relieves stress. Music education also strengthens brain cell connection ­ you will respond to things more quickly and these connections and nerves will last longer in life. Along with that, it teaches discipline and manners, helps kids stay engaged in school, builds imagination and creativity, raises SAT scores, and improves your overall Grade Point Average, leading to scholarships and higher graduation rates.
The most interesting fact I found was that Music Education is proven to reduce a person’s chances of getting Alzheimer's disease. Every minute, a person in the United States develops Alzheimer's, more than 5 million Americans a year. One in three people over the age of 60 die from alzheimer’s, making it the 6th leading cause of death in America. After seeing this study, I spent hours researching this topic “for fun”.
Little did I know this would change my career path. I got the idea of going into my college major (neuroscience) from this project. I realized that the ways that music affects your brain is really fascinating to me, making me want to be a neurologist, and help out Alzheimer's patients with music. Before I wanted to go into genetic engineering, to modify wheat to be gluten­free (I have a medical condition not allowing me to consume wheat), but after my research, helping patients with a horrible, extremely common disease with what I love to do (play music) seems a lot more interesting to me.
Giving back is a great way to fulfill your community service requirement for school or a club, build your resume, and make a difference in your community. When I did my gold award project, I didn’t just gain experience, I learned a lot of new things I had never thought before. I became more comfortable talking to adults from this project, and learned that I am extremely capable of running an event of some sort.
I got the idea of going into my college major (neuroscience) from this project. I realized that the ways that music affects your brain is really fascinating to me, making me want to be a neurologist, and help out Alzheimer's patients with music.Not only did this project give me all of these benefits, it also changed my career path.
Achieving a Gold Award is a big deal. I had no idea it was going to completely change my field of study. As i continue my education, I will go into my own research about the correlation of Alzheimer’s and music education. I will also study to become a neurologist, to help patients with Alzheimer’s disease with music.
Find something you love to do, and stick with it. Try doing multiple things, if you don't like it, find something else. Getting involved in your school and community certainly makes you a better person, and makes you realize more about yourself.