My Mother's Impact on My Education by Isabel

My Mother's Impact on My Education by Isabel - March 2023 Scholarship Essay

My mother has had an enormous impact on my perspective of education. Throughout my life, she encouraged me to pursue knowledge, fostering a deep love of learning that will forever shape my education.
She taught me to love books, and the art of storytelling. Some of my earliest memories are sitting on the couch beside her, listening as she would read to me, feeding my imagination with the most beautiful images. From National Geographic to fairy tales, I dreamed, absorbing both the real and the fantastical. As I grew older, I soon wished to explore the words myself, and eagerly began learning to read. The realm of knowledge was opened, and nothing was ever the same.
Even after I took ownership of my own education, she continued to deepen my love for
it. She devoted countless hours to encouraging my interests, pushing me to develop my academic talents. My mother was the person who helped me discover my passion for writing. She introduced me to an interactive British Literature course which studied poetry and story from all ages. For a year, I worked to complete it, struggling to understand the Old English and ancient legends. I loved every page. During this time of my life, I realized that I too wanted to tell stories – to use them in whatever way I could to help others see reading the way I did, to learn to love it. Rather than discouraging me from such a dream, my mother pushed me to become a better writer, insisting I work hard to nurture my skills. Her message was persistent: to not give up my passion. Soon, writing became something I immersed myself in, and it bled outwards into all my subjects. Everything became an inspiration, a challenge to do my best, to use my words to deepen my involvement and understanding of what I was learning. History, language, science, philosophy – it all connected, through the lens of being one great story.
Education was incredibly important in her own life as well. There was never a moment when she was not attempting to learn something: listening to podcasts while cooking, discussing deep questions with us around the dinner table, and reading lengthy academic books in her spare time. The example she set was incredibly inspiring – the fact that she remained so devoted to her learning while persevering through the difficulties of raising children was astounding to me. Realizing that learning is a lifestyle completely transitioned my approach to academics. Once I saw things this way, my perspective on education changed entirely. Life is about learning, through every aspect – not just school.
Most of all, my mother encouraged me not to give up – that the effort I put in really did matter. It was from her that I adopted my passion for education and learned that perseverance can change lives.