Don't Wait A Single Moment by Danielle

Don't Wait A Single Moment by Danielle - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

The quote I did choose for my Senior Yearbook was lyrics from the Miley Cyrus song "The Climb", which I am equally embarrassed and amused by. But that was almost 9 years ago. Since then, I have gone to college in Arizona, gotten a BA in English, gotten a Masters in Education, taught middle school for three years, written and published a book of short stories, lived in Ireland, the Dominican Republic, and Kuwait and traveled to over twenty other foreign countries, adopted a dog, moved to Nashville to teach immigrants and refugees, started on online Masters program in School Counseling, and the list goes on. I have learned and grown and been enriched by fascinating people, places, and a career in education. While I still wholeheartedly belt the lyrics to "The Climb" every time I hear it and just about a thousand quotes that are important to me come to mind, I saw a quote from Anne Frank on a church sign the other day that has really stuck with me. In her diary, she wrote, "how wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
I think this quote says a few significant things about me. First, I think it demonstrates how my passion and dedication lie in working to make the world a better place. I think this quote also highlights my belief that the ability to do the hard work to change the world is a privilege and not a burden, that anyone can make a difference even if it seems small in the larger picture, and that if there is something that can be done to improve the world, it can be done now. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by how much I want to do- teach, counsel students in need, eventually start a nonprofit that provides education and enrichment experiences to foster children- that I forget about the every day choices I can make and actions I can take that move to improve the world and this quote reminds me of that.