Aspirations by Eva

Aspirations by Eva - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

Apprehension manifests between my eyebrows in the form of premature wrinkles, and my brain swarms in uncontrollable circles. Sprinting back and forth between related topics colliding in my head, I attempt to synchronize the information to form an answer. And in an abrupt instant of clarity, the answer incarnates. All of the bifurcated topics suddenly connect in the circuit, and that light bulb above my head illuminates.
Just about every conclusion I have ever come to has been caused by a similar epiphany, whether related to trigonometric derivatives or mRNA transcription. Whether I am walking home and wondering about where the rocks embedded in the sidewalk originally came from, or connecting seemingly unrelated equations while standing at the board in my calculus class solving a specific problem, my curiosities are unceasing.
When I learned to read, it happened in an instant. Those unrevealed hieroglyphics transformed into secrets scribbled across richly smelling surfaces. And ever since I started reading, I have been unable to stop.
“Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar!” (Thomas Foster) Reading How to Read Literature like a Professor completely changed my perspective of literature. Suddenly, the rain in As I Lay Dying became the characters’ cleansing. The red hunting hat Holden Caulfield draped over his head in Catcher in the Rye became a symbol of his insecurities. The snow in Wuthering Heights became Heathcliff’s sorrow. Foster opened my eyes to the all of the hidden meanings authors implicitly weave through literature. Reading How to Read Literature like a Professor popped open the literal content provided in my favorite books to latent meanings.
It is inherent of me to devour books, but Foster’s work taught me how to construe significance from seemingly insignificant details. How to Read Literature like a Professor caused in me a chain reaction of curiosity. I am thankful that Foster kick-started my high school career with valuable insights applicable to any work of literature. I still have a lot to learn!
“Lifelong learner” is not synonymous with “Honor Roll student”. It is the psychological difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, based on the voluntary will of a person. I am a naturally curious person, and I openly ask questions for the sake of understanding. I am motivated by knowledge, not grades (although I do put everything I have into school work, as well).