Graveyard Adventures by Hannah

Graveyard Adventures by Hannah - March 2023 Scholarship Essay

I hate to waste time, figuratively and literally. I store moments in my mind for this exact reason. Sometimes, my impatience gets the best of me. When I turned 16, I had saved enough to buy a car, but the one I could afford was a manual transmission. On the day of my first driving lesson, as I waited in the car for my mom, I decided to start it. When she attempted to get in, I took my foot off the clutch and the car lurched forward, nearly running her over! This prompted a quick change of instructors, and my dad stepped in. I wasn’t as close with my dad as I was with my mom, so during our driving lessons, the initial conversations were awkward and jerky, similar to the motion of the car when I shifted gears. My dad decided to teach me to drive in a cemetery, and the one he chose happened to be the one where his father was laid to rest. At first, I thought he chose this place because there was no way I could possibly hurt someone, especially after the incident with my mom, but, as the lessons continued, I began to understand the true reason why. Not only is the cemetery a quiet place, but it has hills to teach me to stop and start the car flawlessly, and this was a time for my dad, grandfather, and me to be together. I cruised up and down many hills, listening to my dad talk about the importance of being positive, setting goals, and mentoring others. I drove, and I listened.
Learning to drive in that cemetery made me see the importance of paying it forward, and it helped me understand that one moment leads to the next, just like generations do. I got to see the continuity of life’s moments and the need to pass down ideas and knowledge. In this case, my dad has been my mentor not only in driving but in life. He has shown me that it is possible to carve your own path without a mentor because his father died before he was born. He has had to make an educated guess on how to navigate the challenge of being a father. I have learned that sometimes I may not have someone to guide me, but I have come from someone who didn’t have that guidance and is still successful. That is a powerful and comforting lesson.
Although my dad did not go to college, he is supporting me in my quest to find myself, as I am the first to go off to college on his side of the family. He has shown me how to fill the gaps in others’ lives. I have now been tasked with being the mentor for my siblings and will help them navigate the nerve-racking process of applying to college when it is their turn. Also, during the past year, I have taken a girl in the grade below me under my wing, providing guidance on study strategies and time management. My mentee has also become my friend, an added bonus for us both. While driving a manual transmission is much easier for me now, I think that the life skills I have learned will take me a lot farther in the long run.