Risks for Rewards by Stephanie

Risks for Rewards by Stephanie - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

Living in the same place your entire life shows the dependability and comfort level of a person. Deciding to move across the country from a town of less than 10,000 people to one with 18.5 million is a way to shake up that security. I am currently in the process of taking the biggest risk of my life. And taking risks is my New Year’s resolution for 2016. To start the year off with a risk, I have decided to go back to school and further my education.

I would not call myself a risk taker by any means, but I am at a pivotal point in my life and know that I need to take a giant step to succeed in my future. I have always been a creature of habit. The majority of my life has been the same but with little tweaks. My base actions have been the same, but so has my drive and dreams. Throughout my journey, I have honed in on the specialty of a field that I want to pursue.

Over the past couple of years, there has been a thought in my head of returning to school. I figured that I would be able to find a job and be happy and stay in the life I have always had. But I find myself asking “Am I settling?” I have decided to make sure that the thought does not enter my mind again. I decided to take the gamble and apply to a specialty school in Los Angeles, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, to advance my education and take the leap into my future. I am doing the most bizarre, out of the box thing of my life and packing my bags and heading to the city of Lights, Camera, Action.

Specifically, when it comes to being a student, I want to be more involved and reach out to new people, which is something I would not normally do because of my introvert tendencies. Also, to participate in new experiences and learn about topics that are non-typical. I think that taking part and exploring outside of my usual ways, is a way that will really help me to grow as a student and learn more about my individuality. I want to take advantage of who I am and apply my knowledge to unpredictable ventures. I'm very excited for this year’s uncertainty and am ready for the risks I have to take to further my personal knowledge and career.

These next couple of months are going to be some of the scariest and most exciting times, but I am ready for the risks. I want to take every opportunity this change is going to offer me head on, even if the outcome is unclear. I think that being open minded about the future in a new place and career is one of the most daring ventures I will be pursuing in my life. I am going all in on a dream that I hope to build into a reality. Some people might say it is crazy to run off to the other side of the country to pursue a career in TV and Film and to those who say that, I will respond with “I am ready to be crazy!”