The Gift Of Success by Lauryn

The Gift Of Success by Lauryn - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Harper Lee once explained, "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” It is easy to enter the education system thinking only of what a burden it is to be there. Often times the joy of learning is clouded by the obligation to be successful. After being in the public school system for more than thirteen years, my advice to younger students would be to Value the education you have been given, and do not wish away your time here.
Though waking up early on a Monday morning or coming home with a binder full of homework can seem less than exciting, it is important to value the education you have been given. Recognize that many have fought to be in the same position you are now. An education is a privilege that many around the world today do not have. While many students in the United States complain about a novel due in two weeks, women in Pakistan are fighting for their right to learn how to read. Though some students today are frustrated with a paper they must write, two hundred years ago, many were frustrated because they had absolutely no way of getting their ideas on paper. They were limited by what they could say orally and were taken advantage of because of it. For hundreds of years, education has been fought for with blood, sweat, and tears. When you sit in a classroom, think of it not as a burden, but as an opportunity and a given path to success.
High School is one of the many stops along a long journey. High school is the last place an individual comes through before they enter the world as an adult. It is where a person develops habits that never fade away. There are very few habits more dangerous than wishing one's life away. I entered high school with a new excitement that faded after I became so concerned with my grades. I longed for Christmas break, then spring break, then summer. I wished away so many days and moments. Now I am a junior and when this summer comes, my friends will be off to college. It occurred to me recently that the time I spent wishing away should have been spent embracing the moments and people around me. I fear the coming of weekends and find myself pushing against an untouchable force- time. If an individual continues to wish their life away, at some point in time this realization will hit too. It may be after they wish away a few moments or after they have wished away their entire life.
Education, that has been given, is of great value. Understand this value and do not wish it away. Education is not only a doorway to a better career. It is the foothold for an amazing life.