My Academic Role Model by Brandon

My Academic Role Model by Brandon - March 2021 Scholarship Essay

Three generations...three generations of my family have gone to college. To me, that means it is just assumed that my siblings and I will go to college. It's not a choice. In light of that, it is interesting to me when I think about when my nana went to college. Her situation was quite different. Because of that, she is my academic role model.
My great grandmother did not finish high school. My nana, her daughter, was quite the student in elementary school. She knew how to spell the words her older brother was studying for his spelling tests. She didn't always want to go to school because it was boring, but she still went. She was so advanced that she skipped second and seventh grades. That means she graduated from high school when she was 15! She wanted to go to college, but her parents were hesitant to just send her off to college. They were concerned for their 15 year old daughter around those older guys. My great grandmother decided that my nana was going to go to college, regardless. She told my great grandfather that they were moving so my nana could go to school. It is hard for me to envision my 5'2" meek great grandmother announcing to her gruff husband that they were moving, but she did and they did. After moving, Nana started college and went through without any problems, other than not being old enough to drive to class. She worked at the school, was involved in the extra-curricular activities and graduated with her Bachelor's in Accounting and went on to get her Master's in Business Administration.
One might think that just because Nana was a good student doesn't explain why she is my academic role model. The thing is, she didn't just learn things for the test and then forget them. To this day, her vocabulary is more extensive than anybody I know. I can always call her for help with homework, regardless of the subject. She always wins when we play word games. She uses words I have never heard, but when we look them up, she is always right! She is the smartest person I know! She is 74 years old and still using her accounting skills at her job. Having had two strokes has slowed her down some, but she still knows and recalls so much information. For these reasons and more, my nana is my academic role model.