When Education and Compassion Unite by Sarah

When Education and Compassion Unite by Sarah - July 2014 Scholarship Essay

During my junior year of high school, I was recruited by Keith Winking of Texas State University to play trumpet in the jazz band. I was born and raised in New Sharon, Iowa, and this was a huge change for me. Dr. Winking took me under his wing, and showed me around the entire campus. He took my family and I to the local dive restaurants and the neat places to hang out in the college town of San Marcos. I fell in love with Texas State University and have been there for two years now.

I moved from a town of 1,300 people to a college of over 35,000 people and a city of over 50,000 people. I was extremely nervous to attend college 1,000 miles from my family, but I took the leap of faith. Many people tell you before you leave for college that large universities only see you as "a number." The professors don't care about you or if you come to class, they just want your money. It didn't take long for me to realize that they were so wrong. Dr. Winking has shown me this time and time again in the last two years. He showed me that education isn't just about the skills you have and improving them, but it's about shaping people into better human beings than they were before you met them. Dr. Winking is not only one of the greatest trumpet professors in the nation, he is also a great person.

This past year I was faced with a setback. I had a memory resurface of abuse as a child. I became very afraid to be away from home and I needed comfort. I had to move out of my dorm room due to fear, and begin therapy due to my actions of self harm. Dr. Winking was the first person I turned to in Texas. He gave me time to collect myself and didn't pressure me to be perfect in my lessons. But the most important thing he did occurred every Friday for the rest of the semester.

I am an animal lover, and miss my animals constantly while I am away at college. I volunteer at the animal shelter, but sometimes that isn't enough. Dr. Winking offered to bring his dog to campus every Friday so that I could take it for a walk to calm myself and have a bit of "animal therapy." I can't tell you what this did for me. I was happy for those few hours with his puppy Hank, and I was able to be myself. Dr. Winking didn't ask questions, he was just there for me. Because of that, my academics improved, and by the end of the semester I was able to earn a 4.0 GPA.

Education isn't just about your brain, it's about your heart as well. Thanks to Dr. Winking and many professors at Texas State University, I am able to continue with my education after making it through the most difficult year of my life. He reached out to me and enabled me to live again. Dr. Winking calls me often over summer break to check on myself and my family and help me with my trumpet skills. He doesn't stop teaching just because he isn't being paid for it. He does everything possible to help his students and I am so proud to call him my professor.