Digress by Tima

Digress by Tima - August 2013 Scholarship Essay

Female koalas have two vaginas, and the male's penises are bifurcated. That's what I learned in my organic chemistry class my sophomore year of college. And what did that have to do with elimination reactions? Nothing.
Among 300 other students I sat in CS 50, one of the largest lecture halls on my campus, listening to a professor who couldn't be more than ten years older than me talk about the genitalia of koala bears – a fun fact shared to him by a chemistry Nobel prize winner he met at a conference. A fact that my mother would scold him for sharing with a room full of "mature" students giggling behind their laptops.
But the reaction it got was not what made that fact meaningful. That unimportant tidbit of information segued into a relationship between a professor and his students. For a year and I half I sat in countless classrooms intimidated by the great minds that lectured before me. This professor changed that for me. He taught me that no matter the age gap and no matter the difference in university standing, relationships could be forged between any people. Since then I’ve made it a goal to make be more personable and less shy. By changing this one aspect of my personality I’ve made connections I would have been too nervous to even think about. I have learned to step out of my box, try new things and not regret mistakes I may make along the way.
This small personality change caused a domino affect, making me into the person I am today – someone who is less shy and more confident. Now I am not afraid to stand up and make my presence known, because someone who chooses to sit in the dark their whole life will never learn to appreciate all the wonderful little things there are to live for.
All this from a little comment my chemistry professor probably does not even remember mentioning. I’m thankful for it every day.