Evolution of my 6 Year Old Self by Chira

Evolution of my 6 Year Old Self by Chira - June 2017 Scholarship Essay

The transition from high school to college can be a little intimidating. From living with my parents and having food provided for me every day, to moving out of state to live with people that I have only had a few conversations with. To prepare myself for this monumental change and to ease my mind, I organize things such as my “junk drawer”. This is a drawer I have in my room full of little mementos from my past. Cleaning it out allows me to relive several memories I am fond of, and to let go of others that are no longer as prominent. Just last week, while going through my junk drawer, I found my diary from when I was 6 or 7 years old. In it are pictures of pets that I wanted at the time, and plans I had for my future. At the age of 6 I had planned to be a cheerleader with rainbow hair in high school. That goal evidently changed as I went through high school without ever touching a pair of pom-poms or dyeing more than 2 inches of my hair. When I was 7 years old, I joined a cheerleading team. Through practices and cheering at games, I learned that I didn’t want to be the one cheering, but instead wanted to be the one on the basketball court with the ball. This realization shaped my future. I stuck with basketball and played as the Varsity point-guard my sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school.

In my diary, I had also written that I wanted to be a teacher and dog trainer when I grew up. Through the past 10-12 years, my aspirations have evolved due to my educational and home environment and the influence of my peers. I don’t necessarily see my past goals as a horrific way to spend the rest of my life, but I have learned that there are many more jobs out there. When I was younger, I only knew of occupations such as teachers, police officers, doctors, and lawyers. Now, through education and different organizations at my high school, I have discovered jobs such as Environmental Engineer, Actuary, Environmental Scientist, and Architect. My future possibilities have evolved and multiplied as I went through school, giving myself a wider horizon of choices. Going in to high school, I was terrified because it meant I was one step closer to choosing a career path. I joined Student Government, Earth Club, and Math Club in an attempt to experience different situations and learn what I like to do. I immediately took an interest in Earth Club and the conservation aspect of it all. During my years in Earth Club, we implemented recycling, school Earth Fairs, city-wide electronic recycling fairs, and annual energy audits of the campus. I have gained invaluable experiences through this club, and am still learning as I travel to Washington D.C. this summer to attend the Youth Awards Energy Conference. I plan to continue gaining experience through college clubs, activities, and internships. High school education has helped me to broaden, and subsequently narrow down my career paths and focus on ones that I feel strongly towards. Although my current career plan is different from my 6-year-old self’s, I still aim to make a positive impact on those around me and change lives for the better. When I was 6, I wanted to help teach children basic skills, whereas now I hope to help create cleaner and safer environments for people to live in.

Most people think of a “grown-up” as a certain point one person reaches in their lives. I am constantly growing up, maturing, and making life changing decisions. I have learned that I will never stop “growing-up”. There will always be new things to learn, new things to shape my being. At this current moment, I want to choose a career path relating to the environment, although in two years my plan might change. I might want to study biology or mathematics. Although my perception of who I want to be has changed since I was young, and continues to change, I know that my 6-year-old self would be proud of who I am right now and who I am striving to be.