Hash to the Mash by Keanna

Hash to the Mash by Keanna - September 2019 Scholarship Essay

Academics are crucial to success, but so are extracurricular activities. Football, tennis, theater, band, there’s just so many options when it comes to choosing extracurricular activities. There’s so much more to high school than studying and taking tests. A major problem that students face is that after graduation several aren’t ready to transition into college life, but most importantly, adult life. Students nowadays think they can get away with eating top ramen and frozen chicken nuggets for the rest of their school years. And you may ask, “What about breakfast?” Well that’s nonexistent for many students, whether it be waking up late or pure laziness, more and more people are relying on frozen meals and take out food to satisfy their hunger throughout the day.

With the offering of a cooking class as an extracurricular activity at high schools, students can learn how to make their own meals and prepare themselves for college years. In a cooking class, students will first be taught how to make breakfast foods. Too many students are skipping out on the most important meal of the day. We’re not asking them to follow the Gordon Ramsy eggs benedict tutorial, but a simple scrambled eggs on toast will do to fill a hungry stomach until lunch time.

I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase “I’m broke” from our fellow classmates. Well they need to toughen up. Another benefit of having cooking classes at high schools would be that students are less tempted to order fast food. Not only are home cooked meals more healthy, but they also save your wallet and bank account. Cooking may require more time and effort, but those five to ten dollars spent on breakfast at Starbucks can be used for other expenses and eventually add up. We’re often careless when spending a couple dollars here and there, but we often never think about the long term benefits of saving that money.

Especially in the case of high schoolers, they usually have the mindset that they can get out of their hometown upon graduation. College in the United States isn’t getting any cheaper. Students often take for granted the opportunity for a free education while they are in high school and become bombarded with expenses when it comes time for college. Simple change in habits can save students some extra cash, and more importantly cash for college.