Education Outside the Classroom by Megan

Education Outside the Classroom by Megan - August 2018 Scholarship Essay

Education changes the world. Without it there would never be new inventions, improvements, or interests. Ideas live forever and can change the way a person thinks. Podcasts can be used for good reasons such as for inspiration, encouragement, and education; my podcast would incorporate all three. The best lessons I have learned were not part of a school curriculum, but they are from personal experience and from the experiences of others including teachers, friends, family, and co-workers. I would combine these experiences and lessons learned with more normal education such as new research being conducted, what is being taught in classrooms, and new ideas to move forward in our world.
My Spanish teacher has so many stories he has told us throughout the years and I have learned so much about him and his travels abroad. I am glad that he takes time to tell us of his experiences of studying abroad and how he worked his way through college. He is one of the smartest people I know both intellectually and socially. I would retell some of his stories about his trips to Mexico and Ecuador and what it’s like there. Culture is very important to me and I wish more people in the world would take time to learn about and appreciate other people’s culture. This is important because people are afraid of what they don’t understand; if more people took the time to learn and appreciate people’s backgrounds, there would be less fighting and more community.
I have done a variety of activities throughout my life and all of them have given me a new view on life. Gymnastics made me more disciplined, co-leading the middle school Jump Rope Club made me more of a leader and grew my confidence, taking art classes have kept me creative, and doing summer research at The University of Akron has opened my eyes to a whole world of engineering. I could do so many podcasts on what I have learned from the speakers that have come in and talked about career options, how to be successful in your own terms, and how to do your work so it makes a difference. My podcasts would educate people on many aspects of engineering and inspire them to think outside the box for themselves. What kind of inventions can people come up with when there is no limit to their creativity? Even if one is uninterested in engineering, my podcast would still have great lessons I have learned and can impact someone’s life forever. Passing on important things I have learned is important to me because I believe education provides opportunity; by telling others of my experiences and things I have learned, I am passing on education that may spark interest and provide new opportunities for a person.
My podcast would inspire and encourage people to learn more about emerging research and how it affects the world. What are the ethical dilemmas and implications? How can these be solved realistically? Many things in life are complex; there is no single solution to any problem. This would combine the cultural, educational, and inspirational aspects that I strive to spread in everyday life. If someone has an idea or goal, ask them how you can help them achieve it. Point out how other programs, companies, and countries are doing things and adapt and resystem their process or viewpoint to fit their goals.
My goal is very simple: spread inspiration, encouragement, and education and hope that it positively impacts a person’s life. If they can go change their community or another person’s life because of something they heard or thought of during my podcast, I would feel like I am changing the world for the better one person at a time. Everyone deserves support and encouragement and that’s what I plan on providing in my podcast. Education is important, especially real world experiences that people can relate to and learn from.