Four Coherent Atoms > Sixteen Incoherent Atoms by Ben

Four Coherent Atoms > Sixteen Incoherent Atoms by Ben - October 2013 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my high school career, I have had many great learning experiences. One of the greatest experiences came from my time in the marching band. The marching band itself is a community of well-rounded people involved in many aspects of the school. Each person has a different story, and everybody is important to the success of the group as a whole. As a member of the leadership team for three years, I have learned that the hardest, but most needed, job in the marching band is a leader.

A marching band, in my school's case, is a group of two hundred teenagers all moving and playing together at speeds as a fast as three steps per second. Within that group of two hundred teenagers, there are two hundred different personalities that must be combined to create one body, almost like one person, that can perform together. The easiest way to organize two hundred teenagers is by having a strong sense of pride and dedication to the cause, which starts from the leaders of the group (in this case, a marching band). Leadership can come from anywhere; even from the freshmen joining marching band for the first time. It can come from the loud and energetic member of the group or even the shy and quiet member.

With leadership, a group is able to establish a strong foundation to make an impact in the world. Without leadership, a group is disorganized. An organized group can have a much stronger presence and impact in the world because "four coherent atoms operate better than sixteen incoherent atoms". What this means is a group that is tight-knit, responsible for each other, and working for the same goal is much stronger than individuals working towards a goal with no cooperation. So, in all, the most valuable learning experience I have had outside of the classroom is marching band because I learned that a group acting as two hundred coherent atoms is life changing, and the easiest way to make sure the coherence happens is by having a strong feeling of leadership.