The Best Things Come Unexpected by Anna

The Best Things Come Unexpected by Anna - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

A week ago, I was scrolling through YouTube when I came across a video that said, “You have a plan, and God has a plan. Surely God is the best planner.” I felt a deep connection with it knowing what I know now, and this is the advice I would give my younger self—the high school senior working 30 hours a week to afford college.

Being born into a low-income family meant I learned early to make the most of every opportunity. I still remember as a child my grandparents taking me to the local public school each summer to eat the free meals they served, teaching me to value every resource and opportunity. Thus, when asked about my availability at the first part-time job I had landed, I marked every hour that I wasn't in high school. Often times, I would get home at 11pm and complete my homework on the train. The weight on my shoulders at the moment felt heavy, but I now see that the part time jobs were so much more than just a way to save for college. Instead, they were an opportunity to be exposed to different cultures and languages. Bouncing from Fushimi Market to Hashi Market, then Tiger Sugar, and finally Minuto Bauli, I worked in environments rich in culture and language. At the Japanese grocery stores, I learned about various Japanese foods that I now make at home. At the Taiwanese bubble tea shop, I practiced Mandarin with coworkers who had just moved to New York. At the Italian bakery, I revived the Spanish I hadn’t used since high school.

Exposure to so many different cultures taught me how to connect with people from all walks of life, and it showed me the power of community in the most unexpected places. Never would I have thought to have gained so much from something that was just simply supposed to help me afford college. It has inspired me, as an aspiring engineer, to innovate for and include communities that are often underrepresented in design and technology.

Now, entering my sophomore year of college, I find myself using this summer to work a part-time job while being an engineering intern, totaling 55 hours a week. Though my “make the most of every opportunity” mindset has remained, but I’ve learned to trust the timing of my life as oftentimes the best things come unexpected. Only by looking back now am I able to see that the most I gained from my part-time jobs was not the money, but the experiences.