Astronomy Class by Riyan

Astronomy Class by Riyan - September 2017 Scholarship Essay

The most impacting elective class I have taken was astronomy. Before I took it I had no understanding of physics or how the universe works. After I took it, I felt the need to research everything we learned outside of class. It made me interested in science and outer space. I would stay up watching TED talks and read long articles about black holes. I was very intrigued in string theory as well. I have never really wanted to study new information outside of class, astronomy made it so I did. Eventually I noticed myself doing it with many other classes such as history and English. I would also read higher level books because I was interested in expanding my vocabulary.
The fact that I enjoyed astronomy so much was surprising because I have never had a knack for science before. I had a lot of shortcomings in chemistry no matter how hard I studied. My astronomy class influenced me to take physics. I already had all of my required science classes, but because of astronomy I wanted to learn more. I wanted to know the equations and how to solve them. Before, I would much rather be taking an English class instead, but part of my mindset changed. My interests were broadened. I started looking through telescopes with my cousin when we went camping. Our relationship improved because of our shared interests.
Astronomy taught me so much. I have never been more engaged in learning. It was a really good experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was thanks to my amazing teacher, Mr. Van Tassel, that I wanted to learn more about physics and science. I used to think it was just boring math, but now I know better.