The Cost of Responsibility by Jennifer

The Cost of Responsibility by Jennifer - November 2013 Scholarship Essay

High school taught me many things. I learned not to throw away my retainer on soup day (Digging through the trash in the hall while people are switching classes is not my idea of a good time). I also learned not to wear your sister’s high heel boots to school for Halloween (My feet still hurt thinking about it). But I also learned about leadership, friendship, and responsibility.

The most valuable lesson I learned in high school was the cost of responsibility. We all want to get our drivers license so we can drive ourselves around. I was able to get mine at the end of my freshman year. I loved being able to drive. But with driving came responsibility. In school they would talk about texting and driving and how dangerous it was t drink and drive. I didn’t have any issues with that. I didn’t have texting on my phone and I was not going near alcohol. They never talked about the other responsibilities.

I was responsible to be where I needed to be when I needed to be there. I couldn’t blame my parents for making my late anymore, I had the car keys. When you are given responsibility, you lose freedom. I’m not saying you find chains around your ankles suddenly, but you do find responsibility holding you down. At least, that is how I thought of it at first.

Responsibility is about more than doing what is asked of you. It’s about going beyond what is expected of you. If I was told to be at practice by six, I was there at five forty-five. I quickly learned that the better I handled the responsibilities given to me, the more they gave. I soon realized that the cost of responsibility was worth the winds it gave me. I suddenly was able to do more with my time, make a larger impact because I was proving I could carry the cost. I was able to go to the Dominican Republic with my Church because I showed I was responsible. I was able to drive at night to a band party because I showed my parents that I was responsible.

The cost of responsibility is never talked about. Some students shy away from responsibilities when they realize they come with a price. The cost of responsibilities is far outweighed by the reward of being responsible.