Change by Ashley

Change by Ashley - January 2018 Scholarship Essay

Mahatma Ghandi once said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” The world is immense and although I cannot go everywhere and influence everyone, I hope to make a positive impression on those around me. Throughout my life, I have learned from and observed other cultures, but I have not experienced the diversity which is so present in the university setting. Blossoming with opportunities, my life is full of travel, compassion, and humbled service, all of which I hope to continue into my life in college and further into my adult life.
Growing up, I came from your average midwestern family; I loved animals, lived in the country, and my family’s primary source of income was based on the dairy industry. Although my family appears this way, I was actually born in Canada. At the age of three, we moved to Wisconsin, but this move was my first of several. My father traveled two to three times a month all across the globe--from Canada to the Netherlands and domestically--and my family loved to join him when we can. Living this lifestyle, I was encouraged to be easily able to convert my mindset and change my attitude to respect all cultures, where I may enhance and change my perception of the world. To contribute to this development, I hope to study abroad in Ireland and learn more about my ancestral culture, where I may also learn more about the biology and heredity of this environment, but some things just can't change.
After busy months away from my extended family, I have always looked forward to reunions, not only because of the people but also the many animals that shared my grandparents’ property. I would scour the empty barns for anything of interest and often found stray kittens that I was able to care for, but this was only the start. Beginning with stray cats at my grandmother’s house and our loving Dalmatians back at home, I have always loved animals and have been compassionate in caring for them. My compassion for animals spreads past anatomical boundaries to humans as well, as shown in my service toward the elderly and less fortunate families in my community, which I hope to continue on campus. Apart from service, this innate compassion has led me toward a planned focus in biology for my collegiate career.
My involved lifestyle as shown in my cross-cultural acceptance, strong morals, and discrete compassion is also reflected in my scholastic and community presence. In my multitude of clubs, I have taken initiative to serve and make a difference in the greater community. Specifically, in student council, I have coordinated and marketed a food drive to help the less fortunate families in our community make their holiday season enjoyable and show our support as a community. Although all of my plans are not executed to their highest potential, each year I have learned to improve upon the past. Volunteering throughout my community has brought me pride and humility to see how I can affect the population constructively, as I again hope to continue on campus and in my travels.
I wish to contribute equally to a future university through my experience and service. I want to not only encounter the diversity of such an institution, but also take advantage of the immense possibilities to learn and develop as an individual on campus. Although my presence has developed and faltered, and I intend to share a consistently positive influence on campus.