Education--The Building Blocks of Success by Cali

Education--The Building Blocks of Success by Cali - November 2015 Scholarship Essay

A few weeks ago, anxious and tense about my future college decisions, I turned to a documentary named “Homeless to Harvard” to give me some motivation and relief. This documentary is about Liz Murray. Her parents were drug addicts and she lived in the Bronx. Liz dealt with physical abuse and watching the abuse of others, so she decided that the best thing for her would be to run away from home. She lived on the streets and slept in bathrooms, struggling to survive. Though she wanted to give up, Liz decided to return to high school after leaving and make something of herself. Liz completed high school in two years and won a New York Times scholarship that allowed her to have to funds necessary to go to Harvard, one of the most prestigious universities in the country. Her true drive and spirit really inspired me and made me realize how lucky I am when it comes to education. As time passes and it gets closer and closer to Thanksgiving, I find my appreciation of our education system at the top of my list of things that I am thankful for. I live in a place where I am very fortunate to get a free, quality education. Though I never had to go through the hardships that Liz Murray did, her passion has made me realize that your education is truly what you make of it, and that is what I am most thankful for.
I am thankful that here, in the United States, hard work and drive can bring you success. With blood, sweat, and tears, Liz Murray made her dreams come true, just as I hope to do. In countries around the world, many children have to pay to go to schools equivalent to our elementary and middle schools. Some, though, do not have the opportunity to go to school at all to receive an education. I am thankful for those teachers who really love to inspire us, like my AP Economics and AP Psychology teacher this year. These are people who go above and beyond their job to make learning interesting and enjoyable, even though they don’t have to. I am thankful for club sponsors, who have allowed me to practice my leadership skills by leading clubs, and I am thankful for guidance counselors’ will to help us succeed. I am thankful that, at my school, I am able to challenge myself with difficult AP and honors classes, though sometimes with these classes come a lot of work and a lot of late nights studying. I am thankful that through my education, one day I am free to become a business leader, an orthopedic surgeon, or anything else that I dream. I am thankful that the fathers of our country have created a place in which students are able to thrive and make something of themselves if the work is put in. I am thankful that, in a world sometimes filled with negativity, education is something that is never able to be taken away from a person. It is very difficult to choose merely one thing that I am thankful for when it comes to my education. What I am thankful for in my education, simply put, is everything.