Education by Anisa

Education by Anisa - December 2014 Scholarship Essay

According to John Dewey, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” I have overcome many barriers in order to become the student I am today. English is my third language and the U.S. is my third home. I come from the war-torn country of Somalia; from which my family was forced to flee, and eventually we ended up in Egypt, where I started my education. At first, studying there was very difficult for me because I had to learn my second language of Arabic and after a period of adjustment however, I did very well. After four years in Egypt, we moved to the United States in 1999 and on arrival, one of the difficulties I encountered was learning a third language, English, but I found services available in the schools that helped me learn the language very quickly. These experiences have strengthened me, sharpened my intelligence, and given me the flexibility to overcome any hurdle in achieving my education goals.

I am now involved in teaching weekend classes for children between 4 and 15 years of age. I also volunteer to interpret Somali to English frequently, and I feel that I am very fortunate to speak, read and write these languages. In addition to Arabic language skills, I believe I can use these abilities to interpret for patients in the future when I become a nurse.