I've Got the Power by Brittney

I've Got the Power by Brittney - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

We have all had at least one teacher in our lives who has inspired us. Teachers are the ones who shape us and guide us towards the person we are going to be. Each teacher leaves an impact on their students that will remain with that student for the rest of their lives. One teacher in particular has left an immense impact on me.
This teacher, to be honest, was not one of my favorites at first. In fact, I thought she hated me, because I sat next to one of my best friends in Journalism, which she was also in charge of teaching. Slowly though, I grew to respect her not only as a teacher, but also as a human being. She was kind and smart and funny. She genuinely cared about her students and she loved her job.
She was the one who taught me how to take proper notes. She was the one that taught me how to work well with others on group projects. She was the one that was there for me when my friends were fighting. Without her, I am not sure I would be as motivated and as willing to learn as I am today.
She didn’t just teach history, she brought it to life. She made us care about the things that went on thousands of years ago in Mesopotamia. She is the reason why I love learning, especially about history. History was no longer the class that everyone had to take, it was the class that everyone wanted to take.
While all of those things taught me important lessons, the most important thing that I learned from Mrs. Diggins was to make sure that my voice was heard. Mrs. Diggins was one of the most vocal teachers at my school and she made sure that her opinion was heard. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, Mrs. Diggins did everything in her power to make sure that the decisions that the school was making were in the best interest of the students. To sixth grade me, she was a hero.
I have tried to take that lesson with me everywhere I go. I have strived to be the best possible version of myself, a very confident and outspoken version of myself. I have been active in a variety of clubs, I have garnered many awards, and I have continued to push myself to become a leader.
For example, I am currently President of Interact Club and last year I organized many events including a book drive as the Public Relations Officer of Interact. I was the Treasurer and Quote Liason of Flames Literary Magazine and I organized three fundraisers for the magazine last year.
Recently, I have become much more involved in politics. For me, the democratic system is a way to have my voice be heard. This year alone I have attended many Valley Interfaith Project events, I was accepted into the Inspire Arizona Leadership Academy, I have worked as an intern for over one hundred and fifty hours for the John McCain Campaign, and I attended Girls State where I was a reporter, the Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, and a Precinct Committeeman. I did not just sit around and hope that everything would turn out the way I wanted it to, I took the initiative to go after competitive positions that would give me the opportunity to have my voice heard. I learned to do that from Mrs. Diggins, I learned to go after what I wanted no matter how out of reach that goal seemed.
Mrs. Diggins was one person and one person is not going to change the world. It takes many people all working collectively towards a common goal to enact real change in the world, but it only takes one person to start the movement towards that goal. A movement towards a better future for education has already started in Arizona, Mrs. Diggins inspired me to go out into the world and try to make a difference and she has inspired many more of her students to do the same.
Mrs. Diggins has taught me that I have the ability to make a difference, that I can make my voice heard, that my opinions do matter, and that I can be a leader. All I have to do is trust in myself and realize that I have the power to make a difference, just like everyone else, and that I can use that power to leave this world as a better place then when I came into it. For teaching me that, I will always be grateful.