The Paradox of A Transforming Lifestyle by Jean

The Paradox of A Transforming Lifestyle by Jean - July 2019 Scholarship Essay

True passion for learning, for receiving instruction changes a person. In my life, it has created the beautiful paradox of having a transforming lifestyle. This may seem antithetical to those of you reading. How can someone's lifestyle be transforming? How can something that is defined as consistent be changing? That's because of the nature of education. Education leads to learning. Learning leads to change, whether that is doing more or less of something. Every time I learn, I change. The way I live changes all the time due to the lessons I receive. So there is only one way to describe the way I live, as a consistent state of change, and perhaps because of my love for education, I see education everywhere in my life.

At the age of five, I was introduced to this strange two-wheeled vehicle called a bike. It wasn't as sturdy as my trusty tricycle, Trikey. (Yes, I know, what an original name.) Trikey had accompanied me for the past three or so years of my life at that age. We'd explored the Amazon jungles and the starlit cities of the world all in the comfort of my living room, or, if I felt daring, the sidewalk in front of my house. However, this "bike" didn't seem like it could make the same journey. In fact, it fell over if you didn't hold it in place. My dad explained that it was the "upgrade" of my tricycle, but I refused to hear it. So I received an informal education that day. It was more conceptual than the ABC’s of Kindergarten.

He held my little hand and took me outside to see all the other kids. They were on their bikes. He explained that "bikes are for big kids". They went faster and further and required more skill to maneuver. It was my choice now, to accept or decline this lesson. I thought about it for as long and hard as a little five year old could think. After three minutes or so, I decided to shake hands with Lady Education that day and agreed to learn. Soon I finished training and I was free to roam our little neighborhood apartment area. The older I grew, the more I could roam. That little lesson in my life allowed me to fly. A tool and concept, I never thought they could change so much for a person. A new core part of my life, that I didn't know existed, was introduced to me by education. I went out every day for an hour or two and just rode the day away with the wind in my hair and sun on my skin. From a little girl in the living room, I went to someone roaming the space under the sky, thanks to education. That’s when my passion for education started, I decided that I would learn, and I would put to practice all the things my education taught me.

I never let go of Lady Education after that. A lot had changed after the age of five. I had joined the accelerated math program and became what most people would call "smart." I loved to learn. I read chapter books when everyone else was looking at pictures. I was the kid raising my hand for every question and asking the teacher what we'll do tomorrow at the end of class. Some of my old classmates may now identify me as the "annoying over-enthusiastic nerd". Though, I am rather proud to receive the title. I moved twice, made new friends, survived the horrors of middle school drama, entered a new high school, and made it past freshmen year. Every time I fell, I’d ask myself why and how I could improve. I’d teach myself solely because I loved it and I grew through the years. My person became more complex and my lifestyle fluctuated with the facts. Then, in sophomore year, the ultimate challenge of high school greeted me.

He stood at six foot five, my AP US history teacher. It was the hardest class our school offered. As the only sophomore in a class full of juniors and seniors, education rammed me full force that year. I greeted it with open arms. My teacher had us walking on ice to simulate the winters of the Revolutionary war and watching harsh documentaries describing the terror of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. Every moment in class gave me a story, fact, or experience. I learned with zeal grasping what I could as fast as possible. That education changed me even past the actual class material. I learned to how to work with older kids, to challenge myself in my work, to see different viewpoints and understand them and discuss, and to expect the most from myself even if I already meet the minimum expectations.

Gripping education, loving it, accepting it, that is true passion. When any person has that, it changes them. It develops who they are constantly and how they live. I can say this about myself. Sometimes education comes in the form of a class, sometimes in the form of an experience. In whatever form, it has taught me to adjust to life, to love new things, to see and understand people, and to grow. A transforming life, that’s what passion for education means to me.