Education's Purpose by Lila

Education's Purpose by Lila - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

Education has always been a crucial part of my life, and still is. Like most children in America, I have attended school from pre-K to 12th grade in a public school, and along my journey, I have learned a lot. I learned what it means to be passionate about something, to be motivated, to cooperate with others, to accept defeat in the face of solid evidence, and to eat school lunch. I believe that the purpose of education is self-cultivation and awareness.

I have been told by my parents, relatives, and friends that I need to get a good grades and go to college. For the most part, education is commonly associated with school, grades, and college, but education is more than just that. Education can be attained outside of school, such as participating in community service or helping someone in need.

When my parents owned a Chinese restaurant, I helped them out there. I learned many things that are simply not taught in classrooms, such as determination and ambition. However, the restaurant taught it. To me, helping at the restaurant was an enlightening experience and part of my own education because the experience taught me grit, determination, and dedication. I was determined to succeed academically and socially to become successful in the future, so I helped out at the restaurant everyday to apply my knowledge to real life applications and overcome hardships. I knew that if I could maintain all As while helping out my parents at the restaurant, I could tackle more tasks to help out my family.
By experiencing the real world, I am more realistic and aware of my circumstances. I learned how much my parents loved me because they were struggling to provide me and my siblings with warm meals and a home. Education has also helped me find my passion.

The spring of eighth grade, I registered for Honors Chemistry. I did not know what Chemistry entailed except that it was a “potion” course due to Hollywood's influence. Hollywood shaped my view of Chemistry, leading me to imagine it as a class where students concoct “potions” and perform alchemy in white lab coats wearing funky glasses, but a couple weeks into the course, I realized that Chemistry was nothing like what I imagined it to be. There were no white lab coats, no spontaneous explosion, no “POOF,” but there were safety glasses and heavy-duty black aprons. I remember turning the color of a penny from copper to gold by soaking the penny into NaOH and heating it. That was when I realized that Chemistry intrigued me. Even though I do nott have a black cauldron or an alchemy symbol, I have the power of science and technology.

My passion for hard science ignited while studying Chemistry. I enjoyed combining reactants to create products, titrating acids and bases, and experimenting with different methods and substances. Chemistry differed from my expectations, but I learned to embrace the differences and gain a new perspective about science. I discovered that I love chemical science and that Hollywood’s portrayal of reality differs from the actuality. Even now, I still see the gold-colored penny that lighted my interest in Chemistry.

My love for Chemistry has pushed me to go beyond and pursue a major in Biochemistry so that I can learn about the chemical processes in living organisms. I see many possibilities in Biochemistry ranging from studying about the body’s reactions to mutating crops. With the increased sanitary measures that people take, bacteria becomes immune to over-the-counter drugs and hand sanitizers. To stop bacteria before it becomes impossible to kill, I will pursue pharmacology to develop and research more effective medications.

Education opens many doors, especially the door to oneself. To learn means to understand, to apply, and to teach, and I owe my growth to my parents, teachers, and experiences. To me, the purpose of education will always be to teach not only oneself, but also everyone else.