Knowing then what I know now..... by Dakota

Knowing then what I know now..... by Dakota - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Knowing what I know now, I’d tell younger students to never let society, your parents or anyone else for that matter, tell you what will make you happy and be good for your life. Throughout my high school career I thought wanted to be an engineer and looking back, I think I wanted it because it was considered to be a “good” choice. After all, my dad is an engineer…he seems fine with it and makes a nice living. I certainly was smart enough to be an engineer but I never asked myself if it would make me happy or if I really enjoyed it. Of course, there were parts of it I enjoyed, but I realized I did not want to spend my life doing math and that started me on a self journey of learning about myself and what I really want out of life.
Art is my passion and I used to think that it could only be a hobby because I was always told you couldn’t make a decent living off of it. While there is some truth in that, after all we don’t have the saying “starving artist” for no reason but there are also many artists who make a fine living, some that do exceptionally well and an handful that become famous and wealthy artists. A friend of mine had a deep impact on me when in the face of all that he was told and taught, walked away from the degree he was pursuing and chose to go to flight school. His passion, his joy and his happiness was with planes. Deep down he always wanted to be a commercial pilot but his family was pushing him elsewhere. Of course, they loved him and wanted the best for him but ultimately only he could say what was best for him.
I used to feel pressured to choose a job that would make a lot of money but I was finding myself lacking the passion, motivation and drive when I was headed down that road. I was capable but I had no love for it. The process of photography fills me with satisfaction and joy which money cannot buy. Since I’ve discarded the idea of simply choosing a career based on income potential, my vision is clear and I have motivation and passion. After graduation I want to pursue photography to make a difference in world issues and help people. I feel that art represents the current status of a culture and nothing represents that stronger than photography with it’s ability to capture moments in time. Just think of the iconic photos like the WW2 “Kiss” photo, the first man on the moon, Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out and of course the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima. These photos and many more like them not only became a part of our culture but more importantly they took a moment in time that will now forever will represent the aspects of the human race such as courage, fortitude, intelligence, love, strength, creativity, humor, character and even though many photos are of tragic events, there is always that glimmer of hope that comes through even if it’s just in the knowledge that we got through it or learned something from it. This is the difference I want to make, to give to the world reason to contemplate our circumstances and celebrate our accomplishments.
My advice to younger students is to live your dreams, pursue your education in the field that brings you happiness and don’t get weighed down by the expectations of others.