The Future Matters by Hannah Pereira
Hannah Pereiraof Dallas's entry into Varsity Tutor's November 2014 scholarship contest
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The Future Matters by Hannah Pereira - November 2014 Scholarship Essay
Incoming freshman tend to have a sense that high school is the beginning of something, when in actuality it’s the end of something. High school is the last stepping stone of our required education, no longer do you have to attend school, the choice is now entirely your own. You’re free from parents or guardians forcing you to make you do things because now your future is in your own hands. I know that as a freshman that I didn’t understand this major shift, but now as a senior I am all too reminded of it.
Everyday I see bright eyed little 9th graders walking through the hallway like they own the place and I just wish I could tell them how much everything they do matters because every decision they make will affect them. Whether that decision is to drop out of school and become a tightrope walker at the local circus or to stay in school and graduate as valedictorian with a full ride scholarship, it all matters so much more than I believe they realize. I’ve noticed, and personally experienced, that the future never really feels like it’s going to happen until it actually does, whether it’s a product of our generation or just a young mentality I don’t know, but I wish desperately that I could communicate the future’s inevitability. The reality of the situation is like a cold bucket waking you up in the morning, but it pays to be awake.
Time stops for no one, no matter how young or old. Incoming freshman have a tendency to forget that the world isn’t going to stop turning and wait for them to catch up. If more young people realized the hard reality of making choices that matter, I would venture to say that graduation rates would be higher and success within our nation would skyrocket. Even if the choice made is to simply be happy with what they have, it’s still better than nothing.