Scholarship Writing

Pick an experience from your own life and explain how it influenced your development.

           

            I had an orientation leader at Butte College who was one of those eccentric folk you couldn’t possibly forget. Most would characterize his appearance as “hippie” – long beard, old loose fitting clothes, and he was all about peace and love. Even if it was just orientation I wouldn’t have forgotten him, but it just so happened that he was in my first college class too. We spoke often and even had study groups with up to four other classmates. The inspiring part was how he talked to people and how he attacked a subject.

            This guy would not give up on something if he couldn’t understand it. In dialogues, he’s like Socrates but less antagonistic. With subjects/books, he was relentless; sparking dialogues with others who have dealt with the subject and methodically reading every word of every page in a book. My favorite part, though, was our discussions. It was never a mere “what do you believe” and just agreeing or nodding his head to confirm he heard me; rather, he asked questions and drew comparisons. “Why do you believe that?” “Your belief is similar to this.” And it was incredible.

            He was and is my mentor. It was because of him that my interest in education (obtaining knowledge) has skyrocketed, that I don’t just acknowledge I hear people but that I care about what they have to say and wish to fully understand them. He influenced me to love more than I ever had and to share it with everyone. It isn’t any particular experience but the experience of being around him that influenced me.

Describe your most meaningful achievements (drawing from recent work, leadership and volunteer experiences) and how they relate to your field of study and future goals.

            I’ve always wanted to build things with my hands; from scratch with no instructions or pre-made materials. My dad, who was in construction for twentyseven years, had this influence on me. He often took me to the work sight and I loved watching how a lot of land went from dirt to a completed building – the flattening of the ground, the laying of the foundation, the putting up of the outline, then the walls and the roof, and finally finishing touches.

            This last summer, for the first time I was able to really build something of my own; a cabinet. It has four drawers on the lower half, and three shelves for books on the upper half. I used the wood from another over-sized cabinet we had, and cut it to the size I wanted. Most of what I did to build it were things I have never done before, and so it was a completely new experience for me. I learned how important exact measurements are, knowing how much material you have, and the time, focus, and dedication it takes to finish it nicely.

            I am also a track and field coach for a high school. It’s one of the most meaningful if not the most meaningful things I have done in my life thus far. I come out every day trying to influence the student-athletes to better themselves. For the most part, they think we, the coaches, are only concerned with their times or marks or winning meets and championships. Personally, I’m there for them and them only – to see them grow, to achieve, to be the best that they can be, and to transfer the right mentality over into the “real” life as well. Ultimately, it’s about their happiness and making their dreams become reality.

YOLO: A Reworking

YOLO or You Only Live Once has most commonly referred to occasions of binge drinking, banging a certain number of persons, or engaging in the dangerous. These actions would be better categorized under UDOLO (You Only Die Once) or TTBADA (Time To Be A DumbAss). The former appeals to the selfish caring only for how they “go out” and so thrill themselves for the hell of it while the latter just does not think about the consequences. 

 Let us consider YOLO as a saying with deeper value instead. We only live once, so let us make the best of it by being the best we can be. Find something you love and do it because you love it, not because you may receive recompense. Have people in your life to dedicate your actions to; for every action there is a consequence, but think of how we might act if we considered first that we are doing it, not for, but in thought of a loved one – we do not live in the past but we act accordingly for these people so that we may continually strive to become better people and make our loved ones proud and smile upon us. 

Think of YOLO as an opportunity to do as much good in the world as you can. Think of it as your ability to give back to the world – and the people too – what has been bestowed upon you. 

For myself, I am tired of thinking I could do more; tired of thinking that I could have studied more or done some kind of work around the house or built something pragmatic; instead I sleep in or watch hour after hour of TV. I should be fat and dumb and ostracized by society; yet, I have retained most of my fitness from being a decathlete and football player, comprise of great intellect, and oddly enough am greatly accepted by most. A change is needed to justify what I possess. 

Our bodies, for the most part, have been designed to work, to move, to think. The hard working brilliant ones utilize these abilities while many are content with the technologies at hand. If we are to continue forward and progress then let us use these technologies, not for their apps, but for their practicality; let us use our bodies effectively to better work in and with our surroundings; and let us apply our brains to solving the problems of our world. 

YOLO, applied properly, is not an easy life… it’s actually the hardest thing you could possibly do for yourself as it is a daily effort to push yourself to live up to its real meaning:

Make life worth the daily fight. It’s time to live up to your greatest dreams.

Live To Love; Love To Live

A Worthy Investment

There is one person in this world who has been with you through all things: seen your downfalls, your achievements, gave you the courage to ask that guy/girl out, struck fear in your heart when you knew you shouldn't have been doing something, motivated you, stopped you in your tracks, loved you, hated you (more like frustrated though), but ultimately wished the best for you in all conditions and circumstances. That person is you.

While it may seem selfish it's quite wise to invest your time and money in that person; it's tough living with them at times but you can never leave yourself; don't even try to escape - it's cowardly and impossible. Make that person happy and do your best with what comes your way - always with a smile on your face and determination in your heart.

Here's how you invest: if you want to learn another language then take classes, read books, travel to the native country, actually use what you learn; if you wish to be more social then go to a club or coffeehouse or library, join a group, create a group, spark conversations with strangers; if you want to design and build something then draw it, research similar projects, get the materials, play with trial and error, build it and learn from it then tweak it. There is a difference, though, between being picky and doing your research - pickiness stalls progress in vain while research shows caution in the midst of a storm (life isn't a peach).

Now there are good and bad investments, but I cannot possibly say what they may be; vague and biased opinions are the best I can give. The difference between the two, however, are nothing like blurred lines; you'll know.

In the end, however, share this person with the rest of the world. Neither hold this person exclusively to yourself nor purely give them to others; the former allows for no growth while the latter gives no time for one to find themselves. I guarantee that if you make good investments, this person needs to be shared with the world. Not only do they thrive in the world but so do they inspire others to make the same investments.

Spark change. Fuel drives. Live to love. And love to live.

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Steve Jobs

The Meaning of Life

           "What are your interpretations about the meaning of life? Is there one to you? If so, what is it? If there isn’t, what’s the point of being alive, in your opinion?"

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              I think a distinction needs to be made between purpose and meaning because in my mind “purpose” should be in place of meaning in the question, but I will include my interpretation of “meaning” at the bottom.

              Purpose is pretty much the belief that you were meant for something and eventually, no matter what, you will achieve that purpose; it’s your destiny. Now, if we put purpose in place of “meaning” in the question it translates to there being a purpose to my life, your life, everyone’s life; however, if that were the case then we would have absolutely no choice in how we live our lives. Purpose will be fulfilled and freedom (in the form of choosing for oneself) no longer exists; this is called determinism. Whether or not there is a purpose to life is unimportant though, because if there is no purpose to life then you are completely free to do as you wish and essentially “make” your own destiny; moreover, if there is purpose then there is nothing one could do about it anyways - it will be fulfilled.

              Now, meaning is completely different because meaning is what you make of it. Life does not have meaning unless you give it meaning. Purpose is out of our mind’s realm; it’s unknowable and therefore uncontrollable as well. But it’s not about control, it’s about how you view things.

              So, is there a meaning to life? I can't answer that on your behalf. But for me, the meaning of my life is perspective. I'm always curious about what others think, why they do what they do, what they believe in, how they see the world, etc because if I can compare, include, fuse, understand their perspective then I will have also broadened my own scope at the same time. For my actions alone, I act the way I do because of how I view the world - generally, I try to see things in a positive light and as a continual process of “growing.”

               For the last part of the question: "If there isn't [a meaning to life], what's the point of being alive...?" Stemming from my descriptions above, if there was no “meaning” to life then life would not be life as we know it. The meanings you give to the "small things" in life are usually linked to the meaning you give to life in general. "What's the point of being alive" without meaning? If there was no meaning there would be no point, but that is life; there will always be meaning because we humans always place a meaning on things - nihilists themselves give meaning to no meaning. So, simply answered; there is no point of being alive without meaning. But a harder question that stems from that answer: What kind of meaning are you going to place on life?

Life is all about perspective.

What I Am Truly Thankful For

            I am literally thankful for everything! There is nothing that has happened, is happening, or will happen that I will not be thankful for. Because what has happened, is happening, and will happen will be the determining factors of who I was, am, and will be and the same is true for everyone else. Each experience will be absorbed and transformed within you and me to create worldviews and unique perspectives. It is all a challenge to me; a challenge to be overcome either by defeating it or accepting the “realities” of it.
In short, it’s much easier to live with oneself if he/she sees the past, present, and future in a positive light, as a growing experience to continually better oneself. Personally, that is why the bad and the ugly can look good and beautiful. Life is all about perspective.