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 Ideal House

Location:

I’d love to live in an area that is lusciously green, with mountains full of evergreens, and near the coast (no more than a mile away). I’d be in an area that is secluded for living but not be too far from town so getting supplies isn’t a hassle. A temperate area would be best as the weather is neither too cold in winter nor too hot in summer; it’s comfortable year round.

The House: 

As I said, it’d be in a secluded area so I wouldn’t really have neighbors. The house would be on a small hill with a dirt pathway leading up to it. It’d be in a clearing surrounded by trees, but of course there would be trees closer to the house as well but more spread out. I like two storied houses, but I think I’d rather have a single story house. The garage would be on the south side, but I’d only use it to park my car on stormy days; every other day the car would be outside so I could use the garage for my projects (cabinets, bookshelves, art, etc.). The entrance would be on the west side so it would be in the shade for the first half or so of the day, but in the evening it watches the sun set.

The Interior: 

The kitchen and living room are next to each other  though divided by the counters of the kitchen. Most of the interior of my house is wood with a rich stain color (of course not all the same – the floor a different shade than the cabinets and so on); the kitchen cabinets included. The sink would be on the west side with a window above it, the stove would be against the wall dividing the kitchen and the entrance with the refrigerator to its right. The counter dividing the kitchen and living room would be on the north end and with a marble top. The living room walls on the north side would be made of glass and have at least two windows on the west side to let as much light in as possible. Two couches make a 90 degree angle with a coffee table in front of them and a tv in the southeast corner.  Sliding glass doors make it possible to go out onto the deck looking out onto the pathway and into the surrounding trees (the deck snakes around the corner to the west side as well). The laundry room would connect with the garage on the north side and have a door leading to the hallway on the west side – a closet directly across from it. The hallway goes north to south – walking south, after the closet, on the right would first be my personal library/office – a room full of book shelves and a desk in the middle of the room (the chair facing the door) – then after would be the entrance and soon after the kitchen. On the left before the entrance would be the “public” bathroom, slightly after the entrance would be the guest room.  The hallway opens up once in the kitchen/living room and around the corner to the left would be where the master bedroom lies. The master bath would be in the northeast corner of the master bedroom, and the bedroom itself would have great windows on the east and south side to let as much of the early morning sun through; the bed itself would be against the south facing wall. Paintings and pictures would line the walls of my house, and maybe I’d have a few sculptures.

It’s all about feeling weird!

I’m proud of being weird and I say so because it means I am not like others. The acceptance of feeling “weird” is the acceptance that you love what you love and other people love what they love. The true beauty lies within not needing to call out other people’s loves in a negative light, but rather to be inquisitive about them. That is when you see their eyes sparkle when speaking of their passions, for who does not love to speak of the things they love. And though it may be something unimpressive or uninteresting to you sometimes it’s enough just to see that sparkle and realize that your care positively affects that person and leaves a deep impression; in turn, it positively affects and leaves an impression upon yourself.