The Power Point that fixed my attitude by Isabel
Isabelof Fairfax's entry into Varsity Tutor's July 2019 scholarship contest
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The Power Point that fixed my attitude by Isabel - July 2019 Scholarship Essay
I was the only kid in elementary school who did not like to read. I knew how, but there weren’t any subjects that interested me. During the annual Book Fair, I spent my money on stuffed animals. As I got older, I read out of necessity because of my course work. I didn’t put in the energy to read for leisure, which caused me to enter high school without a developed personality. I couldn’t say what I was passionate about because I never exposed myself to any of my casual interests. For a few months, I surrendered to the monotony of my schedule and carved out little time to discover what I enjoyed doing.
The following year I registered for an Earth Science class, mainly to get the laboratory credit I needed to graduate. I liked the idea of space travel, but I didn’t expect we would cover the topic. Disinterested about Cumulonimbus clouds, I coasted through the class with my head down all through the fall. In the winter, we began a new unit that piqued my attention. Our first project was to research a NASA space mission done in the 1960s. I jumped into this assignment with both feet. I found myself eagerly bringing my computer home to design a presentation that was truly dazzling.
I uncovered NASA’s rich beginnings because of a school assignment, and I didn’t want it to stop there. For the first time, I wanted to know about something that wasn’t assigned in class. I read aviation books voraciously. I had an insatiable desire to know about each NASA astronaut, their story, and the intricacies of how each rocket functioned. I wasn’t trudging through my life anymore. I was elated. I wanted to shout my newfound knowledge from the rooftops. I found ways to work NASA facts into the conversation, which inspired my peers to be advocates for future space missions. I wasn’t always listened to, but I didn’t care. I knew who I was.
I’m entering college soon, and I’ve chosen to pursue a teaching license. A Geosystems class that I took on a whim set me on a path of self-discovery and profoundly impacted me years later. Education offered me security in a wayward time of my life and inspired me to take up the torch.