Hi(story) by Tori

Hi(story) by Tori - February 2025 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my K-12 educational journey, I’ve taken a wide range of classes in different subjects; some of these classes are vital to my daily life, some not so much. There are several subjects that I’ve taken consistently that I could’ve done away with a while ago because I believe they won’t support my educational and career goals for the future; however, History is not (and will never be, in my opinion) one of those subjects.

As an aspiring storyteller, History has always intrigued me from an early age, especially Black History. Even in Kindergarten singing about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., or in 1st Grade when I dressed as Harriet Tubman for Black History Month presentations, I enjoyed learning about the lives and experiences of different individuals and their impacts on society. I consider History and the art of storytelling to be synonymous because of this idea that we are, essentially, telling stories of real living people and experiences; I mean, why do you think people love biopics?

I believe that we, as people, will never grow beyond a need for History, regardless of where we may go in life. History is everywhere, it’s deeply ingrained in our worldview, it explains why our world is the way it is, it explains all of the good (and bad, oftentimes very terrible) decisions humans have made in the past, and how we can learn from them.

It’s important to note that History isn’t always “academic”, nor is it limited to major global events. Yes, you may think of Harriet Tubman and MLK, but you could also think of Beyoncé winning Album of the Year at the GRAMMYs, or you could think about your grandparents and all of the stories they tell with nuggets of wisdom. History is humanity, History is life in itself. It’s this fact that’s made me always appreciate the subject, what it means for us, and how I can use it as a storyteller. It’s made me eager to pursue it more in my post-secondary education, using what I learn as not only knowledge and wisdom for myself but also inspiration for future projects.

From Black History to Pop Culture to everything else in between, I will never stop learning History for the sake of my wisdom, my career endeavors as a storyteller, and the overall betterment of our world.