A Well-Rounded Person by Karla

A Well-Rounded Person by Karla - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

When I think of education, I think of the people willing to die for it. I think of Malala Yousafzai, the young girl from Afghanistan who was nearly murdered because she dared to speak out and say that young girls deserve to be educated too. I think of countries like Senegal or India, where the people look to education as a way to escape poverty and destitution. The only way to explain why citizens of every nation place so much value and importance on education is to call to mind all of the things that have become synonymous with it. Advancement, opportunity, and stability are generally considered to be benefits of attaining an education. Globally, becoming educated opens doors leading to greater opportunities both socially and financially.

The simple state of being literate allows a person to be exposed to millions of ideas about the world and its inhabitants. Works by Plato, Hugo, and Dickens are read and analyzed in countries around the globe. The act of doing so unites people from different parts of the world in a shared experience. The concepts expressed in the works, from unrequited love to the end of adolescence, are ones familiar to every country and culture. Students reading these works become aware of the common thread of humanity uniting them with people they’ve never seen or met. As a result, students not only learn valuable lessons on morality, but they also become more cultured and compassionate.

Other classes, like ones on mathematics or science, teach applicable skills to students. Math problems introduce students to probability, measurements, and applications like adding and subtracting. These are all practical skills needed in daily life. Science courses teach students everything from chemistry to the importance of maintaining their health and how best to do so. Still other classes like history or second- language courses increase students’ awareness of the world around them.

The purpose of an education is to become a well-rounded person. By obtaining an education, an individual is given the opportunity to advance past their current station in life, and to also build relationships with other students or teachers. Receiving an education is generally accepted to be a human right, and though the journey to finish schooling is often difficult, education is an investment with an extremely high rate of return socially, financially, and personally.