Like Burglars and Jazz Musicians by Taylor

Like Burglars and Jazz Musicians by Taylor - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

Burglars and jazz musicians are alike in many ways. Namely, they are both best suited to the night. After all, what burglar would walk into a house in broad daylight, where anyone could see, and is there any better time to listen to jazz than when there are stars in the sky and no more duties for the day? While it may be for drastically different reasons, they are both made for the night. In that way, I can relate, however, I am certainly not one for stealing, and, sadly, I do not have the musical talent to play some jazz. No, I am an astronomer.

"Astronomers, like burglars and jazz musicians, operate best at night" - Miles Kington, Journalist.

When I was a child, I thought that there was a giant man on the moon, and, naturally, my childhood was dedicated to studying this phenomena: The Man on the Moon. I had heard stories of him, and every time I gazed up, I saw the man smiling back down at me. I always had a friend with me at night, and it was magical. Ever since, I have held that wonder close to me, only expanding and growing my love for the night.

Going to college, there was no doubt about what and who I wanted to become: an astronomer. Now, while I slave away in class, struggling through endless homework sets and projects, I know it is worth it. Stargazing on my dorm roof with friends, seeing the rings of Saturn on top of the Astronomy building, and shivering in near winter to use the telescopes at 1 AM, I know have found my place. As an astronomer, at night, gazing up at the stars.