The Wisest Owl of Them All by Hannah

The Wisest Owl of Them All by Hannah - June 2021 Scholarship Essay

He greeted me with a smile and welcomed me into his office, we discussed our summers as we rearranged my schedule, the usual beginning of the year encounter with the school counselor. Low and behold I was stuck with one too many off blocks and had to choose between filler classes. The real question was, which one could I get away with doing the least amount of work in? Dr. Kohutek paused for a second as he examined the empty spaces on the computer screen, he whipped his squeaky office chair around with big, excited eyes. I could tell he had a good idea, I was hoping he had a good idea. Next thing I knew I signed up for his independent study: An Introduction to Neuroscience. It did not sound like a blow off class that I had hoped for, but I was backed into a corner on that one. I was intrigued by the name to say the least, and considering I would be the only student in the class, I thought it would be a good challenge to conclude my high school career.
Little did I know that one 80 minute class every other day would have completely redesigned my college plans. From the long conversations and stories about his younger years and clinical experiences working in prisons and private practice to his recent accomplishment of publishing a children’s book about grit. He was an understanding mentor, helping me navigate writing scholarly articles and conducting online research effectively. My biggest accomplishment was writing and polishing my research paper on phantom limb pains.
To clarify my initial college major interests, I was thinking big, medical school big. I wanted to be a neonatal surgeon. I had my mind and heart set on it, dream schools picked out and swimming scholarships lined up to help me get there, too. Over the course of the year, I found myself becoming further engrossed in the world of psychology. I was reading books, looking up different professions, and exploring my own mind further. I found my happy place within the subject, and in that moment of realization, my initial college plan was derailed in the best way possible.
The last week of school was a little bitter and mostly sweet, saying goodbye to people I would most likely not see again until my high school reunion and teachers who I did not get to know very well, all the people who in the end helped shape me into the college-ready kid. I was grateful. No gratitude surpassed the appreciation, respect, and honor I had working with Dr. Kohutek that year. To this day, three years later, I still have the gifts of a notepad, neuroscience textbook, and a top notch psychology novel, along with his business card to ask him questions even when I am in school across the country. Never had I ever seen someone more in love with their job or even speaking on it, something I will hold with me as a guide to being my best self.