Passions of Fools by Maren

Passions of Fools by Maren - July 2019 Scholarship Essay

“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” These were the cryptic words of advice Steve Jobs offered in front of a crowd of one thousand graduates at Reed College, the same college he dropped out of in 1973. Although he never obtained a degree, he did spend time after his dropout attending classes that indulged his interests, including a calligraphy class that was the inspiration of the world’s first aesthetic computer fonts. Apple’s co-founder, Steve Woziniak, opened an online programming school in 2017 called Woz U. Its “Woz for Life” policy grants alumni lifelong access to its courses because the nature of technology means skill refresh becomes necessary at a rapid pace.

Amongst modern controversies surrounding the price versus the value of college degrees, a passion for “learning” (independent) is sometimes differentiated from a passion for “education” (institutionalized). However, Steve (Jobs) and Steve (Woziniak) possessed both. In a 2016 interview with CNBC, Woz defended the value of a college degree but made it clear that it is not the end-all of learning. Jobs clearly demonstrated a belief that even non-degree seeking students utilize education in a beautiful way.

Passion drives true learning. I believe that everyone who enrolls in higher education should approach their endeavor with the attitude of a lifelong learner. Grades and paper diplomas are not the truest purposes of formal education. Ever since the founding of the world’s first Latin universities in the 6th century, the university was meant to provide a well-rounding of the intellect and nurture an enchantment with the breadth of knowledge that this world has to offer. In its modern incarnations, the university still fulfills this calling. The top of the Woz U homepage reads, “Woz believes that developing natural curiosity and creativity is one of the most important things educators can do.”

If we can acknowledge our foolishness and room for growth despite (or in spite of) a diploma, then we are able to connect with our natural hunger for a classroom. “Stay hungry. Stay foolish,” is not cryptic advice on second glance. Rather, it is a simple plea to rekindle a passion for education.