Finding Yourself by Shalei

Finding Yourself by Shalei - December 2014 Scholarship Essay

Education has shaped me into the best person I can possibly be. One of my goals in life is to be proud of who I am and all of my decisions. My educational background has allowed me to meet my life-long friends, passions and life lessons. It has taught me how I can only rely on myself 100 percent of the time, how the only confidence boost I should need is from myself, and how to accept that I will not always be the very best at everything I try.

Without my drive for a better education for myself, I would have never met some of my closest friends. I have realized that even though I want to be the most independent person I can possibly be, everyone needs a good friend that is willing to listen when you need to vent. Education has been the connection point between my endeavor for independence and making new friends. As I come to a close with my very first semester in college, I realized how interested I am in the nursing and medical field. If it wasn’t for the exact classes I have already completed, I wouldn’t be as sure as I am that nursing is for me. My educational experience has allowed me to meet and make connections with those who are going through the same thing and those who have already completed their nursing program. They have provided me with great insight and tips for how to survive my next two to three college years. Education has taught me that life lessons will come at the most unexpected times. I realized that I would only be able to rely on myself 100 percent of the time because the only person that will know exactly how and what I’m trying to accomplish will be me. While I will have people that I will trust and rely on, they are human and we all make mistakes. I have realized that I shouldn’t have the need for confidence boosts from anyone. I am completely capable of boosting it myself because when I get a good grade on an exam I have studied greatly for, I am the only reason that I achieved that goal and that should be the only confidence boost I will need to make sure I study the same amount for the next exam.

The biggest thing education has taught me is that I will not always be the very best at everything I try. Life is all about accepting that you will not always be the best or the number one at everything you do. Education has played a major role in this life lesson because the first 20 years of my life I will solely be focusing on my educational goals. I should not set unrealistic goals that I know and accept I won’t be able to reach. Just because I know I won’t be the best at a certain task, doesn’t mean I won’t try my absolute best. Education has taught me that life isn’t fair and it’s up to me to decided how I want to deal with it. I have learned how to tolerate other races, cultures and ideologies because I must deal with the cards I have been dealt. Education is great at opening up your diversity experience and I am thankful that I have chosen a college that is very diverse and encourages reaching out to people who are different from you. I solely believe that without school and educational drive, you have no chance in this world if you want to grow old in a comfortable, less stressful lifestyle.