What You Do in Core High School Courses Does Actually Have Real Life Application by Myla

What You Do in Core High School Courses Does Actually Have Real Life Application by Myla - May 2023 Scholarship Essay

In the second semester of my junior year, my English class read Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif.” From what I can remember I enjoyed the story but in the moment all that mattered to me was completing the assignment and getting my participation points. After the class completed all the activities associated with the story, my teacher had us read the article “The Genius of Toni Morrison’s Only Short Story,” by Zadie Smith, and that article helped truly establish my desire to pursue communications and journalism.

From a young age, I knew that I was going to do something in the field of advocacy, but I was not sure exactly what. Within the first few months of junior year, I locked in on journalism and political science, but after reading Smith’s article I was certain that what they did is what I, too, want to do.

The article stood out to me because it was humbling. The point of it is to highlight that within “Recitatif,” Morrison never states the race of the two main characters, yet almost everyone who reads it assigns a race to each girl. Quite literally I was floored when I found this out because I never thought that I would be one to let my own biases and assumptions impact my perception like that, but I did, and I still do.

Reading Smith’s words made me realize that I want to be able to call out and educate others on the biases that infiltrate our society; specifically, I want to call out political and social corruption. As I want to be a well-respected writer and successful individual that appropriately educates others on various topics, I must educate myself first and surround myself with others who will help me be my absolute best.

Without this article, I do believe I still would have gone down a similar path within the communications field, but I definitely would not have had such a strong understanding of my personal “why” factor or reasoning on why I want to be an investigative journalist. However, one thing that I have always had a strong understanding of is the importance of community.

Growing up in a predominantly white area, every opportunity that I have had has occurred because I actively reached out or worked to find them due to me not being perceived as the “ideal” candidate. More often than not I am the only Black person in most social and academic settings, so I always try to take on leadership roles so that for others I can be their representation; the representation that I never had.

Although I have been able to create communities within the spaces I occupy, I have never been able to simply join one which is something I crave to do in college. No matter where I go to further my education, one of my main goals is to find a space that is catered to me as I have never had a more rewarding experience than being in the same place as others who look like me, act like me, have the same experiences, as well as the same goals and passions.

I cannot wait to immerse myself in a diversified culture that will bring me a plethora of knowledge in the future because when I join the work field, I plan to create those same spaces for others like me. As a journalist, I do not just want to solely share my thoughts and feelings, but I want to encourage others and give a platform to all of those who have never been heard before. Ultimately, I plan to speak my own truth while amplifying the worthy voice of others.