What I wanted to be when I grew up by Allyson

What I wanted to be when I grew up by Allyson - June 2017 Scholarship Essay

It's amazing when you reflect back on your life. Although it hasn't been that long since I was six. Eleven years have zipped by like the ocean breeze. I can remember riding around on my Barbie Jeep in my neighborhood cul-de-sac, following all the laws the fellow older neighborhood kids instructed on us, until it suddenly dawned on me. The stop sign was a octagon, and not a circle. The elders in the cul-de-sac fought to teach me a lesson in math. Suddenly, the elders in the neighborhood where ringing my door to ask me to help them with their shapes and math equations.

You see, I loved to build things in the garage with my dad. I looked up to my daddy, a fine engineer who is well respected not only for his work ethic, but because he took the time to teach me all that he knows. My dad will always be smart in the eyes of his 6 year old daughter. And still is in deed smart to his aging, 17 year old daughter. My dad would ask me when I was small what I wanted to build and design. We loved to work in the garage together. I can still remember today all the master pieces that were built in the family garage. We built countless numbers of bird houses for mother's day, Christmas, Birthdays, and whatever other holiday you could name. It was a math puzzle, as every house was a different shape and size. My dad knew that I loved to figuring out the dimensions of a newly design bird house. It was in the 4 corners of our family garage that my love for math blossomed, and I knew that one day I would work with math.

I wanted to be just like my dad, I wanted to work with math. As simple as that seems to a 6 year old, I thought all that engineers did was math all day. As I grew older, and started tutoring others in math, I realized, that math came in many shapes and sizes. I have talked to my dad for years about math equations in algebra, geometry, Pre-calculus, and Calculus. It's an exciting time to also talk about statics. There were so many careers that need these skill to survive. I have decided that as much as engineering sounds like fun, I am going to pursue my love of math in a different shape in the form of Accounting, Economics, and Finance.

Yes, I will still be in the math world and plan to build a bright future for those that I am blessed to work with. Who knows, when I get to college that might all change, and my likes might shift towards engineering. Numbers are fun, and when you are plugging those numbers into equations, it becomes terribly exciting. I know that math isn’t for everyone, and I am thankful for those that specialize in other fields. This is what makes this world such a great place to live in. There are those that work in laboratories, hospitals, schools, factories, and more. When we all come together as one, together we make a company that succeeds. We change lives, and we make a difference.

I have not ventured to far from my dreams when I was 6 years old. I will make a change in the lives that I meet and touch. I might even be one that changes the way we look at investing or solving math equations late into the night. No matter how or where I land, I will remember and cherish the days of my youth, the days of working with my dad, and the life I have to live in front of me. I might not be 6 any longer, although at times I feel that I am at heart. I now drive a real car with real rules, and stops signs that are truly shaped as an octagon. The world is a big place, and I know that it takes determination, kindness, being respectful, and valuing other people's time; to achieve in life, no matter if I chase my childhood dream or my teenage dream.