Why I Would Like to Have Dinner with Corrie ten Boom by Michaela

Why I Would Like to Have Dinner with Corrie ten Boom by Michaela - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

If given the choice between the many famous leaders, innovators, and political revolutionaries our world has seen, most people would choose to dine with figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Christopher Columbus, Albert Einstein or maybe even Queen Elizabeth. However, if I were given the choice to speak with an impacting individual from the past, it would have to be my hero, the lesser-known Corrie ten Boom.
Corrie ten Boom was an amazing Dutch woman who lived during the time of World War II, and along with her family, helped hide a group of Jewish citizens in her home. Her and family members, several of which being resistance fighters, actually constructed a fake wall in their home behind which to hide these men and women. She was eventually arrested by the Gestapo, and thankfully released, then able to write an autobiography of her story and advocate for freedom and peace worldwide. Corrie ten Boom did not faint in the sight of danger, but looked the Nazis straight in the eyes, and fought for what she knew was right. Corrie and her family saved the six people’s lives who lived in their home, as well as countless others that they encountered during their resistance work. She has become an inspiration to me, representing that fight for freedom and basic human liberties. Going into college, I plan to study and eventually work for anti-human trafficking campaigns, joining the more current fight for freedom. If I had just a couple hours with Corrie ten Boom, I would flood her with questions.
Such as: How did you see the possibility of your own death constantly looming over your head, and yet still you decided to put others’ lives so far ahead of your own? How did you stay calm and keep your head when confronted by the torturers of those you were trying so desperately to save? Was there ever a point at which you lost hope? What advice would you give to someone who is also inspired to put herself in dangerous situations for the well-being of others?
Even just listening to her story first-hand would be life changing. To hear a personal account of that fierce determination and courage to make a difference and inspire change in the world would be a momentous encouragement to me. Although Corrie ten Boom has passed, and I sadly will not be able to have dinner with her, I can still read and share her story. I can let her actions and desires live on through me. I can hopefully, one day, be an activist for freedom, and aspire other young girls to follow in those footsteps as well.