How To Live Life by Audrey

How To Live Life by Audrey - November 2021 Scholarship Essay

Imagine as you cry out in frustration on the side of a dark and deserted road. As you gaze longingly at your dead phone and glance at the car you put all of your trust into before it decided to break down in the middle of nowhere, you realize that you are surely doomed. Unable to call for help and lacking knowledge of what to do, you start to cry and sit in your broken car, praying help will somehow find you.
Now, picture yourself lost in the woods during a hiking trip gone wrong. You call out for help, but no one is near. How will you find your way back to civilization, or, better yet, how will you survive if this mishap turns into a life or death situation?
Finally, visualize yourself on the side of a road, begging for money, unable to find a job because no one will take you, and spending the last of your earnings on food for the next day. You do not recall any lessons on managing money, and no one ever gave you advice on what to do should you ever find yourself struggling. Will it ever get better?
Many people find themselves in situations like these, and few know how to solve their problems. A class that deserves more emphasis in school is one that I rarely see being taught: life skills. Of course, it is helpful to learn the basics: math, reading, writing, science, and history. However, when we face the struggles life throws, many are unable to battle back and end up either forcing themselves to learn on their own or backing down from the challenge. However, the tables can turn if schools emphasize teaching essential life skills throughout our childhoods, causing critical abilities to become second nature. Not only will this crucial class help transform the future into a more educated place filled with well-rounded people, but it will also turn frustrating nights of car trouble, camping trips that take a turn, or worrying about getting through the next day into moments of practice, patience, and action.