Do You Want to be Proud? by Martina

Do You Want to be Proud? by Martina - March 2018 Scholarship Essay

When I read this essay prompt, I immediately thought of the conversation I might have with a child that age. I imagine that my explanation would sound a little like this:
When you're older, do you want to be proud of what you did with your life? Most people do, and that is a very good goal to have. Let me give you an example of someone who was probably proud of what they did. I am guessing that you have most likely learned about a man named Martin Luther King Jr. A long time ago, maybe even before your parents were born, this man was one of the most popular people in America- because he worked very hard so that he could change the United States. Let me tell you about someone else who was probably proud of their life. I'm sure you know what an astronaut is: someone who goes in spaceships and gets to go far away from earth. Have you ever wondered what it would be like in space- or even on the moon? Neil Armstrong focused and trained for many years so that he could be the first person to step foot on the moon, which is 238,900 miles into space: in other words, a very long way away. I'll tell you about one final person- the first African American president of the United States of America: Barack Obama. You probably remember him. I couldn't count how many times I have heard my little sister say she wants to be the president when she is older- and I'm sure she isn't the only kid that feels that way. Former President Obama didn't have much money growing up, but he still tried his best so that one day he could lead millions of people in the United States of America. All of this led to him becoming what a lot of people believe to be one of the most influential presidents America has ever seen. Now that I'm done rambling on about all of these people, did you notice anything that they all had in common? Actually, they share a couple things. One of them is that they all went to college. I know, this was a tricky one since I left that detail out of their stories. Is there anything else they all have in common? This one is pretty easy to see: all of these people and many more worked very hard to achieve success. Everyone defines success differently, but most people can agree that doing well in school so that you can go on to college will definitely put you on the path to a fulfilled life. You know a word that kinda means the same as fulfilled? Proud. And didn't you say you wanted to be proud of your life?