Saturday Mornings by Shayla

Saturday Mornings by Shayla - November 2016 Scholarship Essay

Ring. RingRingRing. It's 7 AM on Saturday and my alarm clock goes off. I think to myself, "One more hour of sleep and I'll be fine." Then I think, "Get up and be productive." Finally, the more sensible part of my mind prevails and I reluctantly awaken to start the tedious day ahead of me. I open my books and get my notebook out. Without the aroma of my coffee being brewed, I'd be out like a light. But I stay awake and I continue my work. One hour, two hours, three hours. Before I know it I've been reading and writing for 6 hours, letting all the information soak into my tired and overworked mind. It's Saturday. It's one of my days off of school and I'm studying. I ponder the reasons why I'm not out shopping or just simply relaxing on my day off. Then I tell myself to stop complaining and I continue on with my reading—running my fingers along the ink-filled pages. I absorb all the information, just like the hypertonic plant cell absorbs the water it needs in the diagram in the biology textbook I'm reading.

This is the college experience I know I'll remember. The studying. The writing. The short breaks where I fill my coffee cup for the fifth time—giving myself the energy I know I’ll need.

But in a couple years from now, when I leave the hospital room with a smile on my face and the privilege of being able to tell parents that their little girl is going to be okay, I'll remember that experience. I'll remember that 7 AM alarm clock that shoved me out of bed and into the studies that helped me accomplish my goals. I'll know that it was all worth it. I'll be thankful for the college experience that allows me to come home after a day at work and say, "I saved someone's life today."