Education Is a Gift That Should Not Be Taken Lightly by Annie

Education Is a Gift That Should Not Be Taken Lightly by Annie - October 2021 Scholarship Essay

When given the chance to have an education, would you take it? That seems like an obvious answer, but some people have taken the educational system for granted. Some people do not get the chance to have a valued education. Tara Westover was raised in a family that did not believe in public education, and because of that never attended school. She learned lessons from her parents, but not the way we would think. She spent her time in her family's junk yard and making herbs with her mother. The first time she stepped into a classroom was at age seventeen. From that moment on, she voyaged into Universities like Brigham Young University earning the Cambridge Scholarship. She would later attend Harvard where she was selected for a senior research paper in 2019.

Tara Westover taught me the lesson of having an education. She decided to learn how to learn. During the COVID-19 pandemic, online school was a brutal time. I had a hard time focusing on home and trying to learn the material given to me. I read her first book, "Educated" while sitting at home during quarantine. During this time, I learned the struggles she went through and how lucky I was to have an education. I learned a valuable lesson after reading her book. It was time for me to learn how to learn. It was time to put social media aside and teach myself how to learn the best way I can at home. Going to school is one thing but learning how to accept the material given to you is a whole other ballpark. I learned how to accept the material given to me, even it meant taking my math final on my couch in my pajamas. Whether homeschooled, at public school, or taking online courses, education is a valued part of everyone's life. The education you have now shapes the person you are in the future. The teachers you have shaped the person you grow to be. That is why I took the lessons given in her book and applied them to my life. I was in awe at the stories told in this book. “Educated” is a biography of a strong women who knows the value of education. Everyone learns differently and she displayed the best in this book.

To conclude, Ms. Westover taught me the importance of learning how to learn. She taught me the importance of taking your education and shaping it to the person you can become. It doesn’t matter where you are, it matters how you learn and what you get out of every lesson. Being educated is a gift, and everyone can take it in different ways.