Why are we here? by Ellie

Why are we here? by Ellie - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

“Why are we here?”

My high school English teacher during my senior year always asked us that question as we walked into her classroom. As her students, we were not permitted to enter the room until we gave our answer: “To learn.”

As the year went on, it seemed to just be routine and we gave her the answer she was looking for just so we could go in and start gossiping with our friends. We were seniors and graduation was staring us in the face. We would be starting a new chapter in our lives in just a few short months that determined our lives as adults. Graduation came and went and then we were off to start our lives.

I attend Washington & Jefferson College and currently I am a member of the junior class. Last fall, I changed my major at Washington & Jefferson College from biology to history. History was my minor as well as Spanish because I love both of the subjects. However, early in the fall semester, I was finding myself waking up anxious and dreading going to class. School shouldn’t feel this way right? I shouldn’t feel as if I am about to meet my doom walking through the door. It was then I took a weekend and went home to reevaluate my choice in major.

The more I thought about it, the more I was realizing that I love history so much more, especially American Civil War history. Do not get me wrong, I love science what with athletic training and sports medicine, but it wasn’t bringing me the excitement that history did. So, with a new spring in my step, I returned to school and changed my major that day. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to worry about what classes I had missed because I would still have to follow the same path as the minor but with a few more classes.

The rest they say is history, but the title of this essay is “Why Are We Here?”. We are here to learn, both inside the classroom and outside of it. As students, we are here to learn from our professors the information needed to live out our dreams and become successful adults. They tell us we’ll find bumps in the road but we need to keep moving forward. We are also here to learn about ourselves. Who we are and what we do defines us as human beings. Life is short and things can change in an instant. I always thought carpe diem was a joke but in the last several years, I take that phrase seriously. My family has endured so much in the last five years that it’s amazing that I am still going to a very good private liberal arts college. I take my family very seriously because even when both of my parents were out of work, family was the one thing to count on. That there was another lesson learned.

Before there was a time when I would hear “Why are we here” and I would answer “To learn” without much thought. Now, that answer is loaded because learning is what makes us ourselves and without it, where would we all be in life? We are here to learn and to eventually teach others what we know and have learned whether by mistakes or classroom.

So, the next time someone asks “Why are we here?”, I hope “To learn” is the answer.