Educating the Heart by Awaz

Educating the Heart by Awaz - December 2014 Scholarship Essay

I think to truly explain how education has transformed my mind and motives, it is necessary to define “education.” Education goes beyond grades and standardized test scores, although both are important. Being educated means one can appreciate the beauties and opportunities of the world; one can think critically; one can put differences aside and make change; one can do things that have never been done before; one can appreciate life; one can be free; one can explore the world; one can listen and respect others’ values with an open heart; and finally, one can make dreams a reality. It is this kind of education that has made me the person that I am today and the person that I hope to be in the future.

Now, flash back seventeen years ago. I was born on the island of Guam. My family was in the process of escaping from Kurdistan as it was under control by Saddam Hussein’s violent regime. We arrived in the U.S. in 1997 and I had no concept of education and its future role in my life. I learned the English language, and gradually, I accepted the American culture that was becoming a part of me. My parents instilled in me a desire to succeed in school. At first, succeeding to me meant that I had high grades. However, as I got older, that all changed. Grades were an outcome of my success in being educated rather than the direct cause of my success. In high school, I formed great bonds with my teachers. These teachers taught me more than the course. These teachers saw in me things that I had not discovered in myself. They helped me become who I am. Rather than teaching me facts, they educated me. They taught me to think critically and truly explore their subjects. I got engaged and explored the concepts that have shaped the very foundations of the world we live in today.

Athletics, specifically cross country and track, played a major role in my life for the lessons that it has taught me. For me, running is not just running. It is an enlightening education. From running, I learned that I must never settle for what seems to be “good enough.” I must, instead, push. By pushing every day, I will become the best version of myself. Running taught me to overcome physical and mental pain. It taught me to respond in a way in which I became faster, better and stronger. I learned to be attentive. I learned to have self-control. I took advantage of pain, only allowing it to make me stronger. I learned that fear and limits go hand-in-hand; they do not exist if I choose not to let them. Above all, running taught me to perform to my greatest potential even when no one was watching. This kind of outside-of-the-classroom educational experience is something that I would never trade for any other experience.

American culture gave me the desire I have to excel in life. Kurdish culture does not place enough emphasis on education. Many women do not have careers. Women increasingly find themselves dependent on their husbands and brothers rather than being the independent women that they are perfectly capable of being. American culture has allowed me to have more freedom in being educated. This realization has made me want to end the sex barriers in both American and Kurdish culture in my life and in the lives of other women, because I believe that nothing should stop a woman in her pursuit of success and happiness. In the words of Khaled Hosseini, “a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated…”

It is to this end that education has shaped who I am today. I want to end with one final quote by Aristotle that I believe encompasses the idea of education and its impact on my life: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”