Not Your Ordinary Student by Theresa

Not Your Ordinary Student by Theresa - November 2013 Scholarship Essay

Walking into the classroom on the first day of school, I am the student teachers question, “Will she be problematic in class?” or, “Will she drop out before our first test?” I was the artistic, creative, free spirit who wore combat boots and checkered jeans to the first day of school; my schedule had always been jam packed with honors and advanced placement classes as well as technology and science electives. A vast majority of people tend to ‘judge all books by their covers,’ yet I am an example of someone who has much more to me than meets the eye. I never came off as a technology loving programmer that adores getting her hands on a videogame controller or building robots, but more of an artist following in my mom’s footsteps.

Growing up, my entire life revolved around either working in the garage on vintage cars or in the art studio building sculptures. Children tend to follow in their parents’ footsteps and join a field of study they grew up around. I am an exception to that belief; I grew up knowing I wanted to be something completely out of the ordinary in comparison to my family. Every relative would joke around that I was adopted because not a single person could understand where I got my intuition and determination from. I was the oddball-- learning to solve a Rubik’s cube at the age of ten, debating quantum physics with my 8th grade science teacher, being the only female to ever take electricity at my high school, and installing Linux for fun. All these combined come to show the person that I am today. I feel at home in the classroom, especially when it comes to the graphics and robotics labs. These subjects are my passion, yet it appeared as if I never belonged in the first place.

Dog tags, colored hair, and video game t-shirts consisted of my every day wardrobe. Due to these inconsistencies, people assumed I would end up in either a gaming or art major, stuck in the field of fine art. While yes, I have a strong passion for art, the creative side of me is more prominent towards problem-solving and designing. Classes at school always put my creativity to the test, allowing me to think outside the box for every day topics.
I could never do things the conventional way; I always had to do them ‘differently.’ Each higher placed class stretched my analytical skills to the next level, expanding my knowledge and using my creativity to apply concepts not normally used in the given subject at hand. I do not follow the so-called, ‘Social Norm,’ and never plan to. Going through the present into the future, I am quite thrilled yet scared of what is waiting for me on the other side. No matter what my future holds, I know I will be able to defy expectations and accomplish anything while still applying my creativity to tasks at hand.