The Value of Education by Judah

The Value of Education by Judah - April 2018 Scholarship Essay

Education is the foundation of our society. School is where we learn to share, to treat others as we wish to be treated, and basic social interaction. Education helps to develop the ability to effectively express opinions and analyze situations. Probably the most defining factor of education is its merit in society. Having a college degree increases your chances of getting a high paying job, for example. This is simply because of the idea in people’s heads that one’s level of education defines them. Education is extremely important, but it is so much more than getting degrees and jobs.

The most important thing to a growing child is self-expression and in school, this can be facilitated through art. Music and reading was a large part of my education. The chant of the chorus “we gon’ be all right,” from poet, hip-hop artist extraordinaire Kendrick Lamar was the augury of my soul, to borrow from my favorite poem by William Blake. Music, poetry, and prose moves me in a way nothing else does. Echoes of Bach’s “Brandenburg third Concerto” remain forever written in my memory from years of cello practice with my school’s orchestra. In 3rd grade when I joined the orchestra, I remember the magic of learning the language of music. It was in orchestra that I came to understand that there are many ways to communicate and to express emotions. I came to understand that being “really” educated in all its forms, music, reading, and math connects you to something greater than yourself.

I equate my experience in the orchestra to education in general. In the orchestra each part matters, even the smallest part. The same is true with one’s education. Each class, each lesson, each learning becomes the sum of the person. I did not always value my education the way I do now and without it, who would I be? I have come to better understand the world and myself because of it and that is why I am continuing my education by going to college.

When I was 14, I spent a year at a Sikh International school in Amritsar, India. It was a rich and eye opening experience that greatly expanded my education. I believe that travel and exposure to other cultures should be a part of all children’s education. You do not have to go as far as I did to get this. The internet, reading, documentaries, PBS have all been an extension of my education and so without leaving Atlanta, I have also been able to go to Africa, other planets, travel through time by revisiting history. These are exciting times to be a student and to be an educator. There are many more tools available to make education accessible and exciting for students.

I plan wield my education as a tool to further my abilities as a musician, an artist, and entrepreneur. What do I know for sure? Education is power.