From Student to Professor by Jacqueline

From Student to Professor by Jacqueline - August 2017 Scholarship Essay

Being a college professor requires years of arduous work and dedication to a specific field. College professors have doctorates in their field. To receive a doctorate, one must have multiple degrees in his/her field. The average age in America to receive a doctorate degree is thirty-three years old. There is one field that I would be overjoyed to study and focus on for the rest of my life: Chemical Engineering. I would love to be a chemical engineering professor because I have a passion for it like no other, I can explain and teach the subject, and I have an interest in all aspects of the field.
I have had a long-term passion for chemical engineering. This passion started in kindergarten. I started doing science fair in kindergarten; this is when the chemical engineering seed was planted. For every year since kindergarten, I participated in science fair and took classes in science outside of school. Science fair and the classes speed up the growth of the plant. In eighth grade, I started honing in my focus to be chemical engineering. In eighth grade, I did my first chemical engineering project. I absolutely loved it. I told everyone I knew about it; I worked on it every day. I am now a senior in high school, I have taking college level chemistry, calculus, and physics. I absolutely loved taking those classes. Chemical engineering is the only subject that I love this much. As a professor, I will be able to share my passion. This is the most important aspect of being a teacher. I have had teachers who love the subject they teach and some who are less interested in the topic. The class is more enjoyable with a teacher who loves the subject because you can feel the passion they have for the topic which as a student is a refreshing experience.
This is the most important part about being a professor; you have to be able to explain the subject. I have experience explaining the subject and teaching others. I have found myself helping students of all levels in both math and chemistry. I tutor elementary students in math; I also tutor middle school students in math. This gave me experience breaking down the concepts and explaining them to students with significantly less experience than I have. Lastly, I tutor my peers by helping them with class assignments and explaining general subjects. This has given me experience with all levels of students which will be crucial because I am then able to tailor my lectures to appeal to the brightest in the class while also boosting the students who will struggle.
Lastly, my passion and ability to explain all topics of chemical engineering is an essential of being a professor. Chemical engineering is a broad topic, this means that there are several different tracks a student can choose. Most professors are asked to teach classes covering a plethora of topics. Since I have knowledge of all the different tracks, I will be able to teach all of them at a high level. I am also able to research in multiple areas. I have experience doing a medical chemical engineering project and an environmental chemical engineering project. This will allow me to have flexibility in my research. This is best for students and the university because it gives both the students and the university more options to choose when deciding what research project to pursue.
It is safe for me to say that I would be best as a professor of chemical engineering.