Finding Happiness through Education by Sarah

Finding Happiness through Education by Sarah - July 2019 Scholarship Essay

Having a passion for education opens up the whole world and makes everything an opportunity to discover something new. I can appreciate education from the perspective of a student, and of a tutor, and both have fueled my passion for learning. The world is a big, wonderful, strange place, and there will always be something new to learn.
I am starting a graduate degree in marine science in the fall for the pure passion I have of the field. Since childhood, I have been utterly fascinated with the ocean and its denizens. As I grew up, I learned more about oceanic processes, different species, and the net of ecology tying everything together. My undergraduate degree in biology sharpened my focus and my passion grew more and more specific until I found my passion project: learning about how humans impact the longevity of different marine species, like white sharks. My biology background is mainly on the ecological side, looking at much broader strokes and knotty problems with dozens of threads and no single solutions. I love untangling big, tricky problems like that, and it all feeds into the Jacques Cousteau daydream I grew up with, traveling the world and discovering new species and waltzing with groupers.
Not everyone is lucky enough to pursue their childhood dreams, and not everyone is lucky enough to follow their passion for learning. Some choose to follow a path that leads to easy money, a secure job, and eventually, a retirement pension from the company they started with decades ago. That is a wonderful thing for someone who wants that, but the world holds too many mysteries for me to ignore. After this master’s degree, I intend to pursue a PhD, because I cannot possibly learn enough about our oceans and our impacts upon them.
As a tutor and an aunt to younger students, I always hope to instill a love of learning in every child I work with. I help students improve their reading so they can become a devourer of books and stories and knowledge. I help students nurture their math skills and understand that they can learn and succeed at anything if they give it the time and attention it deserves, and if they, in turn, are given the time, attention, and resources they deserve. I believe that people are inherently curious, and everyone has an underlying love of learning and passion for education that needs nothing more than to be stoked. Whether this means encouraging adults to take art classes to learn a new skill, or fostering a general curiosity and love of learning in students, I truly believe that it can help people build a life they love. We live in an endlessly fascinating world, and there will always be something new to learn. What could be more exciting?