Questions Not Answers by Samantha

Questions Not Answers by Samantha - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

Education is not about finding all the answers; instead, it is about learning how to ask questions. The more we learn, the more we realize how much is truly unknown, and how much exploration is left to do. We become educated in order that we can seek these answers. For example, we learn about the scientific method of inquiry, which allows us to ask questions about science investigations. In math, we learn about problem solving strategies in order to ask questions about the unsolvable equations. In English, we learn to get into the mind of the author and the characters and ask questions about their true feelings and motivations. Without education, we wouldn’t even know all that we do not know.

The purpose of education, and in particularly higher education, is not to become someone who knows everything, because there truly is no such thing. Instead, it is to figure out how to tackle the issues and problems that we face in our society. In fact, issues facing our global society are the most serious. For example, the number of children living in warzones is increasing, particularly in Central America and the Middle East. Without an education, we would not realize that these problems exist, so we could not become adults who work to solve this dire problem. Another serious global issue is poverty, which increases even in the United States at an alarming rate. Education helps us to ask why poverty occurs so that we can try to find solutions.

Education is about inquiry and curiosity because it broadens our perspective. I am looking forward to continuing my education at USC this fall as a freshman, and I am sure I will realize even more how little I know!