A New Way of Thinking by Cassandra

A New Way of Thinking by Cassandra - April 2014 Scholarship Essay

Picking a fictional character from a book that I have read who has influenced me was extremely difficult. Over the years, I have read so many wonderful books with people who I really would like to meet someday, from Dustfinger in Inkheart to Kishan in Tiger's Curse. I finally decided that the one that has had the most influence on me is Sherlock Holmes, with me continually reading all of the great stories that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has written.

Mr. Holmes is a man of great intellect and I have come to respect his ability, even though he is fictional. This respect, however, has altered the way that I think and act on a day-to-day basis. Now, I feel a certain empowerment when I deduce something from some small detail in a room or on a person's clothing. This empowerment has helped me with my lack of self-importance and has gradually led me to understand that I do have worth and that I can do anything that I want to. On top of that, this way of thinking has led me into higher-level programs and onto clubs and teams where certain skills, that he taught me in his books, are needed.

This deducing power and ability to think analytically had placed me into a program where it is necessary to have both: the International Baccalaureate Program, or IB, for short. Here, I have challenged myself to becoming better than I was before. This curriculum has pushed me to work harder than the average student, and even AP students. This course is, basically, AP, but extends all over the world and is twice as fast, meaning that I need to evaluate everything that my teachers give me, but quicker, and Sherlock has taught me to do just that.

I find it entertaining that whenever someone says the name Sherlock, people usually think of Robert Downey Jr. or Benedict Cumberbatch. However, when I hear the name, I think of my own, personal, superhero who has taught me self-worth and who has coached me to be more curious.

Not only has Sherlock advised me to study people and objects a certain way, but I have learned that it is okay to be different and go a different way rather than go down the path that everyone thinks you should go. This has led me on new and exciting adventures, one of which is going to Rwanda to understand how the genocide affected people there and to learn about and talk to influential female leaders. I also joined the debate team, which was prompted by his many deliberations with himself when he does not quite know where a case is leading him. Before I joined the debate team, however, I was a member of the bridge club. I joined before I started reading Sherlock Holmes. When I did read some stories, my skills in Bridge increased, because I had started to think more creatively and I was able to read other's expressions.

Overall, Sherlock Holmes has had a huge impact on my life, from my thought process to me wanting to have new opportunities. These have enlightened my life as a student and young adult, leading me on new feats, that I never thought that I would be able to do. This is why I chose the great Sherlock Holmes as the one character, out of the thousands of books that I have read, that has had the most influence on me as a person.