Elective by Jane

Elective by Jane - September 2017 Scholarship Essay

Is it too cliche to say that I had no idea what I wanted to do? well too bad, in my case it was the truth. I started college with the confidence of a recent high school graduate, and I finished my first semester with the confidence of a ......(well, no confidence at all). I felt lost and unsure of myself for the first time. My future had always seemed so clear and so sure, but now it wasn't. I felt like I was on a precipice with no other option but down. I am not trying to sound melodramatic (even though I might be coming off as such), but I felt dejected and alone.
I am not going to pretend that one elective changed my life because that would be hyperbolic and a lie, but it did change my view on fairness and equity in society. I took my first education class by acciddent. I had no desire to be a teacher, but it fit a general requirement so I said what the heck? What I learned would begin to change my way of thinking and my view on the precipice I was dancing around. Education is a fundmenetal right and too many deserving children are being short-changed. It was eye-opening to learn about the disparity between different schools and different neighborhoods. It didn't make sense to me, and it still doesn't. How could kids who did not chose their circumstances be told by society and the educational system that they did not deserve a quality future? I was incredibly fortunant to have parents who loved me and believed in me as well as attend schools that believed in my potential and my abilities. I want to help give kids a chance to suceede. I have been given many chances, and some kids don't even get one. I want to change this. It does not have to be normal. It does not have to be the way "things just are."
My views on education have been shaped by the classes I have taken and my own experiences in the eductational system, but I would be no where without that first elective class today. I am different person than I was when I first entered college. I no longer fear the precipice, but I am excited about the unknown. If I can help just one child, I will feel worthy. If I can help dismantle this unfair educational system, I will feel fortunant. I am so incredibly lucky to have needed to fill some general requirement and took a chance on some "random" education class.