Potential by Kalen

Potential by Kalen - January 2018 Scholarship Essay

In high school, the schedule is set for you, your classmates have been the same since childhood, and your teachers know your entire family. On the other hand, college challenges comfort zones. College opens doors, but not always the ones expected. Walking into my college career, I focused on one thing: potential. Immediately after I chose a college I was faced with my potential, others’ potential, and the potential opportunities given to me.
College is designed to prepare students for their future, but that future is designed and shaped by each individual. From the beginning, I had a game plan. I would push through college, then law school and become a leading lawyer or politician. However, I overlooked the potential that the process in between held. Now, my focus is on the here and now. How can I grow from the challenges before me? The supervisors I work under saw my potential from day one and pushed me to grow accordingly. However, the growth is never over. The challenge placed before me has been to shift by focus from my potential to the potential of others.
Since taking on a student manager role, I am stuck daily by the individuality and potential each person holds. However, many struggle to see this potential within themselves. College has challenges me to embrace those around me and nudge them towards the potential they already hold. Through encouragement and personal challenges, I have gotten the privilege of watching many students new to college grow and thrive in this environment.
Potential opportunities are a given in the college atmosphere, but it is impossible to grasp the amount of doors that will be opened. Within my first year at College of the Ozarks, I began working as a student manager in one of the campus jobs. With this leadership role, I interact with hundreds of students each semester. In addition, my supervisors have pushed me to grow as a leader and student. On a daily basis, new opportunities arise through the college I have chosen and the life I live.
The idea of potential is still one I battle on a daily basis. Limiting myself and others hurts all parties. College holds the power to create and shape the leaders of our future. However, anyone can discover and encourage potential in others.