But the More Pressing Question Is: What Do I Want to Eat? by Jeffrey

But the More Pressing Question Is: What Do I Want to Eat? by Jeffrey - October 2017 Scholarship Essay

The very act of eating with someone conveys a certain degree of intimacy. One needs look no further than the act of Communion at the Last Supper to see the incredible importance of a simple meal. So to be able to share a dinner with someone as important and influential as a United States President is quite significant. And if I had to choose one U.S. President that I could eat dinner with, I would choose former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
As I stated before, the position of the President of the United States is an extremely important role, and therefore many incredible and brilliant people have held it. It is a very difficult decision, and I’d be thrilled to have dinner with any one of the U.S. Presidents. But if I had to choose, it has to be JFK. The reasons for this are of course personal, I’m not simply choosing the most successful President (if such a thing could even exist). I feel like we’d get along as we both have similar viewpoints about American politics. For example, I believe that the Peace Corps is one of the greatest foreign policy and aid programs in American history. It’s helped many developing nations and saved many lives and improved America’s image around the world. And his economic programs that sent America on its largest economic expansion since World War II helped improve the lives of everyday Americans. Not to mention his intricate plans to help drive out persisting poverty in localized areas. He had many great ideas on how to make this country better, and I feel like I could learn a lot from him.
But the truth is that I could learn a lot from any one of these Presidents. So another part of the reason I would choose JFK is that he and I share a few things in common. We both love pets, James Bond and Frank Sinatra. He was actually friends with Frank Sinatra which is amazing to think about. And who knows? Maybe Frank would pop in to say hello. I can dream. I also love the television show Lost, and he was stranded on an island when he was in the Navy so I feel like maybe we could find some common ground there (No pun intended). And being the youngest President ever elected, he wouldn’t be as out of touch as some other older Presidents. He certainly wouldn’t be a bore, given that his debating skills against Richard Nixon most likely won him the presidency. And unlike President Calvin Coolidge who was rumored to never say more than three words, we could actually have a deep conversation.
But the main reason I would choose JFK to have dinner with over all the other Presidents is because JFK was a natural visionary whose optimism lead a country into a new era of change. And given that I’m entering my own era of change in my life with regards to college, I think I could use some of that optimism.