My Inspiring Mentor by Claire

My Inspiring Mentor by Claire - October 2019 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my life, I have learned the importance of hard work. My grandma has particularly emphasized this quality. My grandma inspires me to pursue a worthwhile education and continue learning throughout my life.

When I was younger, I remember my grandma helping my older brother with homework. He did not want to do his homework because he would rather go play. He begrudgingly started on his homework, doing the easier problems first. My grandma stopped him and explained that he should start with the harder problems first, so it would get easier as he went on, and therefore, more enjoyable. This experience has helped me understand the importance of getting the more challenging things done prior to working on the easy/fun things. For example, I could play and have my chores hanging over my head, or I could do my chores and be free to play without the thought of chores bogging down my day.

Another thing I am thankful for about my grandma is she continues learning. Quite frequently, she will tell me of the most recent book she read about history. She gets excited when she learns and shares new things. It is inspiring because I know that even when I am done pursuing a degree, I should never stop pursuing new knowledge. I am excited for when I have graduated high school so I can learn new things about my degree and about life in general.

While deciding what to do after my high school career, I talk to my grandma to get her opinion. She always makes it quite clear that whatever I do is my decision and her ideas should not persuade nor dissuade me to do something, but I sincerely enjoy getting advice from someone who has been through this. In fact, she has seen the results of varying decisions in the past through her eight children. She knows the pros and cons of on-campus housing versus off-campus housing. She is knowledgeable about interesting elective courses to take. While making decisions, I turn to my grandma because she knows how best to help me.

My inspiring mentor is my grandma because she teaches the value of hard work and helps me work through decisions.