So Much More Than United States History by Rachel

So Much More Than United States History by Rachel - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

In the fall of 2014, I began my college career at a community college. I was scared and afraid to begin this new chapter of my life. I knew I was in charge of my future now more than ever, and whatever decision I would make from now on would affect me greatly. I was scared to make the wrong choice, scared I wouldn’t ask the right questions, and scared I would be leaving the community college to transfer to a four year university unprepared. I still feel scared now that I have finished my community college credits and will be transferring to a university this fall, but I have gained a different outlook on things moving forward. When I first started to attend the community college, I never would have imagined that I would develop such a great student-teacher relationship with one of my professors. He did not just teach me United States History for two semesters, but rather, happiness is found through unhappiness.
Throughout my elementary school years, all the way up until high school, I was always very shy and quiet when it came to social situations. I did have many friends though, but was never one to put myself out there. I excelled in all my classes and participated in the drill team as well as multiple other clubs. I had it really easy going through public school, there was never a real tough decision that I made that could possibly alter my life forever. When I graduated from high school, I knew that would no longer be the case. I knew that the classes I chose to take and how I chose to excel in those classes would affect me later. This is where reality hit me and I was scared. I was scared that I would choose the wrong career path and end up unhappy with my life. I was scared to make a mistake, until I entered a United States History class my second semester at the college.
Even though it was my second semester at the school, I still considered myself brand new to this world of “college”. I had only taken nine hours the semester before and was set to take fifteen that spring. As I walked into a class of about thirty students ready to learn history, I had no idea that I would learn more than just history. Immediately, the teacher grabbed my attention. He had a larger than life personality and seemed so happy with his job. As the weeks lead up to the first test in the class, I had already decided that this was probably going to be my most favorite class I would take. This professor loved his job, his passion for the subject was shown in every class. He was such a helpful teacher that leading up to the test, he would allow us to be given two essay topics that may be on the test, but he would let us draft our essays and would look over them if we asked. Being the shy and quiet girl I was, I was terrified to have to go to his office hours and have him critique my work in front of me, but my determination to excel in my classes pushed me out of my comfort zone. This would be the first of many times I would go to his office hours for help over the course of the two semesters I took his class. It was in his office that I would learn so much more than how to write my essay.
It was within the four walls of his small office that my eyes would be opened. After he finished reading ones of my essays, talk about what I was going to do after community college and what I had planned in life came about in discussion. At one point in the conversation, he asked me, “Are you scared?” and I felt as though my immediate answer should have been no, that nobody besides myself was supposed to know that I was scared, but I ended up pausing a moment before answering “Yes”. I revealed to him that I was scared out of my mind to do something wrong and make a mistake when it came to my education and career. I expressed how I just wanted to be happy with whatever I will choose to do. This is when he responded with something that will stick with me forever, “In order to be happy, you have to make some mistakes. You can’t lead a happy life without knowing what makes you unhappy. You have to fall down sometimes just to know that you can stand up again.” It is these three sentences I have continued to replay over and over in my head that have made me want to go after more. These three sentences have led me to try new things, push past my quiet persona and open my mind to worlds I would have never even thought about before. It is the most important lesson I have learned because I have taken it outside the classroom and applied it to my everyday life, and I will continue to apply it to my life. To this day, my United States History professor remains my favorite professor I’ve ever had because I learned so much more than United States History.