How Calculus made me a better student and person by Rashida

How Calculus made me a better student and person by Rashida - August 2016 Scholarship Essay

When I first moved to the States from Uganda in middle school, my monumental love for school helped me transition more smoothly that I had been anticipating. Growing up in a poor community in Kampala, where education was a luxury, I saw the opportunity to study in the U.S as the greatest accomplishment of my young life so far. I participated in the classroom and got to know my teachers because I wanted to take advantage of and capitalize on receiving this gift I expected to never receive, or received by anyone I had grown up with. I loved being in an American school, there was always so much more curriculum that I ever knew existed and soon I found myself in my sophomore year of high school, striving to finish the next three years with a 4.0 GPA. One of my favourite subjects during sophomore year was calculus.

I enjoyed calculus because of the teaching method of the teacher. The class was very laid back and allowed discussion and analysis of most equations and problems. The teacher, Mrs. Shipp, was very attentive and personalized our learning preferences with her teaching methods; using lots of visual presentations, audio methods, examples, and allowing us all to reach to the correct solution in a way that didn't make us feel like fish climbing a tree. I had never liked math, and I had always thought I was bad at it, so I was not excited to be in Mrs. Shipp's class, initially. As the year went on and I realized that I didn't have to be bad at math, that I could become better, and that I could become better by allowing myself to explore all options available, and never expecting to get the correct answer from one particular equation or method. Mrs. Shipp's class taught me that I could be versatile, inquisitive, and confident, and it began reflecting in how I treated myself when it came to assignments I had in other classes.

Calculus made me more confident to take a higher math class the following year, and to take more difficult classes to challenge myself for the next three years. Calculus with Mrs. Shipp made me a better student by helping me see that while I could attend class and receive the same message as everyone else, I could personalize that message and explore all presented problems my way, always being comfortable with reaching out to the teacher and asking for help if I did find myself stuck on something I didn't understand. This sort of approach helped me become a more confident student and person, and the way that I deal with problems now, taking a breath when it becomes daunting and then tackling it from another angle, helps me remain a calm person. In college, I continue to utilize my professors and their assistants by always following up with them and seeing if they can add to my way of thinking, if they can make me see a better approach or way because they are the experts. Studying in America has impacted me because I understand the gravity of my being here and succeeding, of using this opportunity and all the lessons I have learned to create a strong foundation to pursue my chosen career in Psychology. My first year in Calculus made me the person who thinks that I can do anything I set my mind to, and that I can do it well.