Reminder of a Reminder by Paul

Reminder of a Reminder by Paul - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

Senior yearbooks are produced at a significant moment in students’ lives, a time when they are prepared to continue onward, but are not quite ready to move on. Students graduating leave more than their institutions behind; they also leave behind family members, both biological and extended, and the happiness created with those family members. While someone has obtained the skills and discernment needed to move on to the next phase of his development as an individual, he is not ready to leave behind the people who have helped him reach the phase of development he is currently at.
That is why senior yearbooks were created. They signify the time when students must recall memories that have been made with loved ones, and also the time to remind students that if so much joy can happen in simple matters, even greater joys lie ahead at the next stage of development. With this in mind, my senior yearbook quote would be “It’s time. Our lessons are learned. Our friends are leaving. New opportunities await. And we must never forget any of this. It’s time to remember our promises made and to fulfill those promises… to both reflect and rejoice. It’s time”.
My senior yearbook quote demonstrates that I am aware of the inevitable, and that I must continue onward with my life, happily. There are “new opportunities awaiting” for me to enrich my life and to pursue a new form of happiness outside of the form that I have utilized for the past four years of school. I must approach these opportunities with enthusiasm, and embrace the moments that will give me certain joy in the future, whether it be the education that comes from a new school or institution, or the benefits of getting the dream job, or even making new friends at the new school or on the job.
However, I also acknowledge that I cannot be as joyous and enthusiastic as I am without the help of my new family, whom I regrettably must leave behind. My teachers, my friends, my colleagues, my parents, they have encouraged me, supported me, and guided me in one form or another. They have shown me wisdom, given me insight into the world beyond my education, and they have provided happiness for me.
Only such happiness can fuel my ability to maintain a positive outlook on life, and these wonderful people have provided that for me through the past four year of my life. Graduation is a time to “reflect and rejoice”, to be happy that I had what I did, and take joy in the sense that even more happiness can occur in the future thanks to the people I love. I want to embrace that time fully while I still can, and the quote lets people know that.
Finally, the quote reminds me that I have promises to keep. Promises have a firm foundation when made, a foundation so firm that they last forever, even beyond the four years in which they were fulfilled for specific persons. When I applied for college, I made an undocumented promise that I would give my full attention to the instructors and the lessons that they would teach; I promised to my friends that I would be kind and loving at all times, and that I would not be selfish. These are promises that I am going to have keep even after I part ways with my loved ones.
Even after I leave college, I will have to give my full attention to both my superiors and the team I will be working with during my career, to help and support them, as my previous family had done for me. I would also provide wisdom to those who do not know what path to take, and offer them emotional support when needed. These are promises I am willing to keep, and my quote reminds both myself and those who read the senior yearbook of that fact.
My senior yearbook quote serves as a reminder of a reminder. The end of an education is the beginning of a new life, and these past four years have sewn their way into one’s life. They certain became a large part of my life after I finished high school, and the next four years of college will have the exact same effect on me. That is what senior yearbooks were created for, to remind people of what has past, and the possibilities that exist in the future. My senior yearbook quote extends that purpose for me, and it lets people know that I am happy, that I am willing to keep my promises, and that I can face the world ahead of me, thanks to the wonderful world backing me up.