The World is Your Oyster by Kaela

The World is Your Oyster by Kaela - September 2024 Scholarship Essay

Doomscrolling so often has you discovering topics you've never seen before and subjects you'd never consider to be interesting. Too often have I been roped into watching info dumps that I wouldn't care to learn about myself, while getting more invested in the topics. My favourite videos to watch are video essays, in which someone gives an in-depth lecture (or educated rant, if you may) about a subject. One such YouTuber who does this, and who I often watch, is Mina Le, known for talking about fashion (history) and movies. Now I have no personal interest in history, but absorbing information that someone else is so passionate about is always interesting. It's a part of why info dumps are so appealing to me. When you have a teacher, wouldn't you want them to love their subject? It's the only reason I continue to love Calculus, even after all the suffering it put me through. My teacher was passionate, and that's all I could ask for, really.

I have less options, outside of school. There are, of course, these video essays that I have long-held to be a great source of learning, but they don’t always exist for the subject you want. They’re also really time-consuming, taking usually at least an hour to watch and absorb, which everyone might not have. Thus, these video essays in short form, as reels, educate me (to a smaller extent) on topics I normally don’t think about too hard. One of the notable ones I’ve watched are ones from Dillon White (@dillonmichaelwhite on Instagram), where he talks about current legal issues. This is where I first explored my love for policy after discovering it in my AP United States History class, as we discussed Supreme Court Cases and their effects.

He doesn’t talk about law a lot. Mostly, he shares his light stories with his wife, about his family. It’s nice to build up a connection, nevertheless, as it helps me learn more when he does talk about law. Although it’s irresponsible to rely on one person for news, that’s typically how I learn about current events. It gives me something to build off of, something to learn about on my own and understand what he’s saying better. From one human being to another, knowing the loopholes and implications that will affect us through these changes makes me feel inspired to do more. To know there are issues in which I can make a difference drives me to do more, to learn more.

It feels like I’ve solidified my commitment to pursue health policy a long time ago, when it was only just recently. My entire life, however, has been building blocks, adding to my knowledge and understanding of how healthcare is navigated by consumers, not patients. As one of these consumers who has had to buy into the system, and will continue to buy into the system, I want to change it. In every interaction with insurance and healthcare providers, I continue to keep this in mind. Learning from experience beats learning from other supplemental materials, like the video essays and books. Someone could say that American Healthcare is especially helpful and accessible, but my experience would tell me otherwise. It’s important to double check sources and opinions in any method of learning.

However, informational resources still help. Through White, and through books, I learn more about why it is the way it is. My focus has been on law, since policy is what I strive to change. I’ve especially been focusing on “Law 101: Everything You Need to Know About the American Legal System” by Jay M. Feinman, annotating it and taking note of viewpoints I could use to analyse the law. This gives me more insight into White’s commentary, letting me gradually expand my understanding and apply the law to real issues. It reminds me of all there is to gain, and all there is to lose.

Nevertheless, I continue to learn. In all I consume, I find value. I find value in doomscrolling, where I often stumble upon knowledge. I find value in videos, where I often learn from another’s experiences. I find value in the teachings of others, regardless of the method used to teach. And of course, I find value in the experiences I have in life, where each transgression fuels my need to do better, and each consideration motivates my faith in others. For the people around me, and for the person I strive to be, I continue learning in all areas of life, if only to make the slightest difference.