Education: Our Path Forward by Sarah

Education: Our Path Forward by Sarah - October 2022 Scholarship Essay

My morning alarm wails long before the sun comes up. The frosty air chews through my pajamas as I grudgingly stick one foot out from under the covers, then the other. On bitter winter mornings like this, when the school day starts way too early and the big exam seems to be far too soon, every student has wondered in the back of their mind if this all is really worth it. Admittedly, feigning illness and staying in bed is tempting, but education is the single most important gift a person can give herself, the single best way to a brighter, richer, and more fulfilling future.
Since my early elementary days, my family has emphasized academic performance. As a kid, I didn’t understand why I needed to know fractions or long division, or even how I was supposed to study it. My parents promised me my efforts would be in vain, and that my third-grade spelling test was my ticket to advanced classes in high school, which were then a fast pass to the best colleges in the country. I could barely imagine this future; it felt like it was eons away. But, after sneaking a few peeks of Grey’s Anatomy, young me wanted nothing more than to be a neurosurgeon, and if my trustworthy parents told me that was the way, I would stop at nothing to get an A.
As I got older, the exigence of these promises truly began to settle in. School wasn’t just something I did, it was something I promised. Something I promised to my parents, my grandparents, my future family, but most importantly, to myself. It was my way to build a stable life, fulfill my wildest dreams, and give back to my community. With time, my vision strayed from medicine, and I realized my true passion was humanitarian efforts. Although this does not seem like it would require long hours in the campus library, many careers in this field require at least a master’s degree in studies such as sociology, public health, or political science. I aspire to provide aid to people in need all over the world, and the first step to doing so is succeeding in higher education. Getting my degree is the quickest way to learn essential skills such as critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving. It will teach me how to be the best worker I can be so I can provide aid to as many people as possible.
Education is possibly the most maligned of our public institutions. Artists from Pink Floyd to Charli XCX proclaim that school has no value, and high school drop-outs from Richard Branson to Jay-Z are revered. Yet education is how families break the cycle of poverty, how countries strive for equality, and how humanity solves centuries-old issues through innovation and technology. Sociologists have proven that educating women is one of the fastest ways an impoverished country can develop. This is important to know when planning international aid programs; barring basic necessities such as food and clean water, adequate schooling systems are arguably the most essential resource. As the world becomes increasingly complicated and prevalent issues become more urgent, education is the only reliable way to bring development and ensure a prosperous future.