The Door to Your Future Unlocks with Learning by Lauren

The Door to Your Future Unlocks with Learning by Lauren - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

What does 20th century management consultant Peter Drucker and my high school anatomy teacher have in common? They both quoted four significant words that I will always remember, as they apply to succeeding in education and life as a whole: learning is a process. Looking back to my senior year of high school, I was the only upperclassmen taking Anatomy and Physiology, which was where I first heard this memorable lesson. Learning is an ongoing process, especially in the medical field, where professionals must adapt to circumstances often out of their control or expectations. During the first day of anatomy class, I felt similar to how Will Ferrell felt as Buddy the Elf, when he attends a class with younger elves around him. After our teacher introduced himself, and provided us with the syllabus, he sat at the front of the room. “Before we begin the first lesson, I want to tell you something important,” he informed us. “Throughout school, and ultimately your whole life, you must remember that learning is a process. You’re not going to understand everything immediately, but knowing that you’re never really finished learning is the first step to success.”
Although it may sound like a simple lesson, the fact that learning is a process applies to every situation that a person can face. After hearing my teacher’s inspirational words, I realized that they have greatly affected the way I view myself and the experiences I will have in the future. As a child, I did not initiate conversation with others, but instead, waited for them to approach me. Over time, I abandoned any notions of staying quiet and refusing to express a witty comment because I feared being misunderstood. During this “breakout period” my shyness disappeared as I spoke during meetings at my school’s Community Academies Advisory Board. My leadership skills developed as I became an ambassador for the Information Technology program and recruited hundreds of middle school students for my high school. My experience was similar to the theme of the book, “Leo the Late Bloomer,” where a young tiger does not adapt as quickly as the other animals around him. Changes in my personality did not happen immediately, just as they did not in Leo’s journey, but eventually, we both flourished. The lesson that learning is a process applied to how I recognized that I was not accomplishing the social goals I sought. My aspirations to pursue a medical animation career and bridge the gender gap in technology require my commitment to learning over time. My goals for the future are derived from inspiring others to realize that their mistakes are not failures, but obstacles to overcome.
In conclusion, the lesson that I learned the first day of anatomy class will continue to motivate me throughout my life. My parents have told me to “reach farther than my grasp,” so I can feel that my goals will be accomplished to the best of my abilities. Comparable to the animal dissections we performed in class, there was a process that needed to be fulfilled. Only through that process did we accomplish the goals of the assignment that we set out to achieve. I see that my future is limitless as long as I remember that learning is a lifelong process where I hope to achieve every possibility I aim for.