A Room Is NOT a Box by Madison

A Room Is NOT a Box by Madison - October 2018 Scholarship Essay

Frequently, creative thinking is the key to success. Whether you are approaching a difficult social situation or building a bridge that will last for decades, creative thinking determines how you approach the issue. That initial approach ultimately will provide the framework for the entire scenario interaction.
At some point, everyone has been told to think outside the box. The saying encourages looking at a problem from a different angle or reworking the premise entirely. People are encouraged not to be limited by the typical response. Thinking outside of the box means refusing to accept that what currently exists is the only option.
Escape rooms are a worldwide trend that capitalize upon creative thinking, making the process accessible and downright fun. When participants enter the room, they have a limited time to use the items and clues that are locked up with them to solve a mystery. Players are forced to work as a team while being coached by the puzzle designers to think outside the box. In one of these adventures, nothing is as it seems, and everything can become something essential. A dime might be used to unscrew a grate or an air pump used to blow ping pong balls out of an unreachable tube. Everyday objects are shown in a new light. Escape rooms show people how to take what they are given, creatively apply the given knowledge in their unusual circumstances, and solve the problem before them. When escape rooms are objectively considered, they sound a lot like life. Creative thinking is all about rejecting the assumption that what has been true in the past in the only option, followed by action to implement the new idea. And just as escape room players would never solve the mystery without creative thinking, players in the game of life can be frozen without a new thinking process.
During my junior year of high school, I had the opportunity to play my first escape room ever. It was awful. The storyline was lacking, essential elements were lacking, and the help promised by the Game Master never arrived. Despite these setbacks, I loved the experience. It taught me how to interact with people and objects in ways I had never considered before. It required teamwork and communication. We needed to be able to express our unusual, creative, and frequently wrong ideas to pursue them together. Now, four years later, I am proud to say that I am a co-owner of Escape Rooms Unlocked, with locations in Punta Gorda and North Port, Florida. I am responsible for puzzle design, marketing, social media, website design, and a host of other odd things that pop up. We provide exceptional customer service and wonderful, exciting room play. There have been countless times when we have had a room design concept, and no clue on how to create it. This business has enabled me to not give up on those ideas until we create a solution. Creative thinking and problem solving rules our business.
I am incredibly grateful for the lessons I have learned through this business about entrepreneurship and the value of grit. The business is still running, and I’m now in my freshman year studying Politics, Philosophy, and Economics as a part of a three plus two program. At the end of five years, I will graduate with my Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s in Strategic Global Development. When I graduate, I hope to enter the field, bringing business opportunities to developing nations across the globe. Every person represents potential, whether they’re wealthy or poor, American or Ethiopian. I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to create their own future and to strive towards personal betterment. I hope to add to that pursuit, whether it be through work with a NGO, or national embassy, or as a self-employed entrepreneur. Poverty is in no way an easy issue to approach, and creative thinking is essential to create and implement projects. The lessons I have learned in the escape room will impact my life and my work. No matter where I end up implementing creative thinking, I want to help others achieve the life they know is out there.