Finding My Passion by Catherine

Finding My Passion by Catherine - May 2014 Scholarship Essay

I’ve always been a good student. The importance of studying hard, completing all my work, and, overall, giving my best was instilled in me at a young age by my parents. Education has always been my top priority.

For a long time, however, I misinterpreted what education’s true purpose was. In high school, I was obsessed with getting good grades, and would get upset if I received anything lower than an ‘A-‘. Learning was second to succeeding. During my sophomore year, I began to excel in math and science, and by my senior year, I was achieving top grades in calculus, chemistry, and physics. New concepts came easily to me as I watched classmates struggle. I thought that this meant I was destined for a career in math and science. As it came time to apply for college, I began to look at schools with strong engineering programs.

In my first semester at the University of Minnesota, I continued classes in calculus and physics, along with a few liberal arts electives. College level courses were more challenging and time-consuming, but I was still excelling as I entered my second semester. It was then that I began multi-variable calculus, and everything changed.

The first few weeks proceeded much like the first semester had, challenging, but I was doing well. Then, as if all of a sudden, I received my first D on a homework assignment. I’d never gotten below a B on a homework assignment in my life. I panicked. I spent all my spare time hunched over my calculus book, staring at problems I didn’t understand. I dreaded the homework, my test scores declined, and by the time spring break rolled around, I was struggling to keep up.

Going home to see my parents, I sobbed as I told them about my failure. As I detailed my ever-slipping grade and lack of interest in homework and class, my parents helped me realize that my heart wasn’t in it anymore. It was then that my dad said to me, “Cat, education isn’t about grades, it’s about a passion to learn.”

Suddenly, it clicked. I hated multi-variable calculus with every fiber of my being. I wasn’t doing poorly because I was stupid; I was nearly failing because I no longer cared about math. As this realization hit me, I reflected on my education. Had I ever really had a passion for math and science, or was I just pursuing an engineering degree because I had previously received good grades those classes? The answer to that question was simple, and as I entered the fall of my sophomore year, I started college all over again.

I was a sophomore; a year into my college education, and my only direction as to what degree I would pursue was the knowledge that I did not want to study science or math. I searched for classes that interested me for the first time in my education, and enrolled in an introductory linguistics course. That class was the spark that ignited a fervor I never knew existed. I loved linguistics. Phonology, phonetics, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics were words I had never heard before, but ones that I sought to learn more about. I had never thirsted for knowledge before, but after that first course, I knew I’d found my passion.

My dad’s advice helped me in more ways than I can say. It saved me from a lifetime of unhappiness as an engineer, introduced me to a passion I might have never known, changed my entire career path, and, most importantly, made me realize that education is more than the grades you earn.