Two Scoops by George

Two Scoops by George - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

“Two scoops of cookies and cream in a cup please.”

“Here you go, enjoy! Bye.”

“George, come help me take the sign down, we have to raise the prices.”

“Why, dad?”

“We can’t afford to sell at these prices anymore.”

Business is all around us. From every trade we make to every item we purchase, it’s business. When I was about six years old I first began to truly understand what business meant. My father opened an ice cream store at that time. As he tried his best to create a successful business I was there watching his every move from the sidelines. Curious six year old me questioned everything he did, from the items he chose to sell to where he placed them in the store.

Our small family business didn’t make it past 2020. Although some customers were saddened to see their favorite local ice cream parlor close, it was really a blessing in disguise for my family. 2020 was the beginning of a series of unfortunate events. The cost of living rising, inflation rates exploding, increasing financial hardships, and so much more made the American dream seem dead.

Out of all the questions I asked my father the only one that stuck with me was when I asked him why he had to raise his prices. I was finally beginning to understand what he meant. From that moment on I felt I had found my calling.

I’m determined to learn what caused the devastation around me. I am motivated to learn about the functionality of the markets, the U.S economy, finances, and everything in between in order to create a solution for every American who is facing the same cold reality as me. We need leaders with solutions in this country and to be that is my ultimate goal. I know we cannot guarantee stability everyday but on the days we do I want to be the first one facing that issue.

I believe in my dream of shared increased financial stability among Americans and a decreased cost of living that I enrolled in an accounting class. I was told accounting is the universal language of business so I enrolled in order to take the first big step on the path to following my dream.

I look to past economists such as Adam Smith and modern day ones such as Esther Duflo for inspiration, hoping my name will, one day, inspire others in the future.