Opportunities by Jad

Opportunities by Jad - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

During 8th grade my family moved from Saudi Arabia to Lebanon. This transition wasn’t too hard because Saudi Arabia and Lebanon share the same idea about education, where their focus is solely on formal classes.  My daily routine in these countries was going to school and coming back home to study. I was raised to think that grades meant everything in education and I achieved those good grades. However, being in Lebanon was only temporary as it provides little opportunity for a good life, so we moved to USA in the end of 8th grade. I thought this would be fine if I did what I have always done which was focus on going to school and coming home to study to get good grades. I did this during 9th grade and I was doing fine until I finally realized, during the end of 10th grade, that education is not only obtained in the classroom but also outside by getting involved. Many things in life are learned through experience that are obtained outside the classroom.
For example, during 11th grade I joined track and field where I truly learned the meaning of teamwork and hard work. In track and field one has to be dedicated because there is a lot of running involved and that is where I learned that education comes from everything because I can teach my mind to endure the pain of running too much. I also joined Link Crew which is an organization dedicated to mentoring freshmen through their first year of high school. In Link Crew I was able to teach freshmen about my experiences in high school and teach them from my own mistakes. Link Crew taught me that giving back to others and the community is important because I never had someone to help me adjust to my high school career since freshmen year but I sure wish I did so I’m providing that to my freshmen.
In conclusion, education is important, however, it can obtained not only in the classroom but also outside by getting involved in your community. Joining clubs and sports is important for college as well, colleges like to see a well rounded person. By this they mean a person that can be flexible, meaning a person that can manage to help the community and a person that can still maintain high grades. Every person should get involved because they can help others through giving back to the community and themselves through learning from these activities.