Life-Long Learning by Rio

Life-Long Learning by Rio - December 2021 Scholarship Essay

I think what best describes a leader is being a lifelong learner. Lifelong learning is the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for either professional or personal reasons. As an 18 year old student at Auburn University, it is my goal to be a lifelong learner like many of my teachers that I had while in high school and who I have met in college. They have a growth mindset and curiosity about the world. They are constantly pushing to find more through challenges, ideas, and experiences. They are reading books and learning new skills. They are in the never-ending pursuit to be the best, most well-rounded version of themselves, both personally and professionally.
Another lifelong learner that comes to mind is Nelson Mandela. Mandela lived for 27 years in prison, mostly on Robben Island. Mandela helped to unite South Africa as it dismantled apartheid. He symbolized for all of Africa a commitment to democracy and freedom. While in prison, he not only threw himself into the routine of daily exercise, but he also read smuggled books as much as he could. Although he was restricted from access to political books, he ordered books on gardening and horticulture. He eventually cultivated food that fed not only his fellow prisoners but prison officials. He also continued his legal education while in prison. He gave legal advice to both prisoners and prison staff.
He inspired his enemies to be better than they had been through forgiveness and reconciliation. In the examples listed it is clear that through his lifelong learning and sharing his learning with others, and even though there was suffering in prison, he forgave his jailors, feeling compassion for those who had caused him pain and his desire for reconciliation.
Thinking about leaders on sports teams, in politics, or in the classroom, they all continue to read, practice, and challenge themselves by being lifelong learners.