Being an Igniter by Ty'Ressia

Being an Igniter by Ty'Ressia - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

When I was in eighth grade, my teacher insisted that I go to the presenter and show my homework as an example even though she had not checked it for correctness. At the time, I would be frustrated. I felt like I seemed to be pompous, as if I knew innately that I had the correct answers. When I was not confident in the work I had completed, I felt this was a form of public humiliation. She had the correct answers in her book, why were we not using that?

I later determined that same experience to be humbling. Even though I was at the top of her class, I was not always right. Other people had valuable views and perspectives for me to acknowledge. The most important lesson I learned was the importance of sharing what I know with others. One flame can bring light to the darkness, but many flames have the power to become a source of new life.

See, I can be a little flame in the darkest night, but that leaves everything and everyone outside of my reach in the dark. Once I begin to impart knowledge onto others, we begin to dot the darkness like the stars. When I seek out those that seem to be the least interested in learning and let them know that their opinions, beliefs, and ideas are just as valuable as my own, the seemingly brightest light, we become a fireball of knowledge burning like the sun. In that, I not only make a difference in my own life, but incite an environment for informed conversations to take place. If knowledge is power, I want to empower the world.