Curiosity by Letai

Curiosity by Letai - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

The world poses a variety of questions to individuals every minute of every day. Children are without filters and ask questions courageously about everything simply out of curiosity. Humans are born with the desire to learn. It is only as we grow older that society diminishes the natural curiosity of individuals. During junior and senior year of high school, my english teacher, Mrs. Hartman, taught me one of the most valuable and important lessons I have ever learned: question everything.
As I grew up, I began to learn that there were certain topics that were to never be discussed and words that I should never say. A constant question began to form: Am I allowed to say this or not? Society created filters and restrictions. I soon understood that foul language should never be spoken, especially from a girl’s mouth and that discussing sex was disgraceful. I often wondered why, but never did I dare question it.
As weeks went by my junior year, Mrs. Hartman made it certain that we, as students, did not simply reiterate what she was teaching us, but instead, give our opinions with evidence to prove why we were correct. She never failed to ask us why and to prove it. In addition to, she would also explain to us that there will always be multiple opinions surrounding us and because of this, it was extremely important to have the ability to determine between biased and unbiased opinions, so that we were not easily swayed. She taught me to constantly question because I had every right to have answers. She taught me that questioning would lead to more answers than I would expect, and that it would be okay because I would never have more than what I could handle.
As a curious person myself, this lesson was important to me mainly because it reminded me that there are individuals who will motivate you to find yourself and help you follow your own dreams. By questioning certain beliefs, I created my own. By questioning myself, I discovered pieces of myself that would have remained hidden had I not. Questions have opened a new door to self-reflection for myself. It has allowed me to grow as a person and increase confidence in my knowledge because I am no longer afraid to ask why.