I moved from a sunny city in California to a humid town in Mississippi when I was the awkward age of fourteen. The culture shock was not that unexpected. Because everything was different, I had to adapt a great deal. After I became acquainted with my new way of life, I began to explore the Magnolia State. I opened up to new ideas and activities, including the belief in karma and the craft of sewing. As soon as I established myself, I embarked on my mission to meet unique people and make new friends. In a small town there are very few places to meet people. The first place I thought to look was school. Because of my eagerness to meet new people I became excited about my first day of high school.
School in Mississippi is entirely different from school in California. The first thing I noticed was the limited class chooses. I expected high school to have a variety of classes that covered a wide range of subjects, this was not the case. Throughout the year I noticed the teachers' low expectations of the students. It seemed as if the teachers thought that the students showing up for class was a miracle. Not only did the teachers anticipate little from the students, the students themselves expected little from themselves. I met very few motivated people that year. At the beginning of my sophomore year I finally realized why no one was inspired to do well. Not a soul cared, not even the parents, whether the students succeeded or not. Because of the lack of concern for success in life after high school, the quality of education given was diminished. Given that people had a low quality of education, people also had a low quality of life. I saw how little or no education ruined people's life by limiting their opportunities. This motivated me to exert more effort and strive for even higher goals.
My experience in Mississippi has shaped who I am today. When I saw the low standards of education there, I realized that someone needs to improve the standard of education. I have decided to dedicate myself to enhance the level of education that Mississippi students are provided. I want to improve their chances of having a successful life. I have seen many peers settle because they don't think they can become anything more than what their parents say they can be or are. I want to motivate them and help them set and achieve their goals. I don't want to see any more students settle for less than they deserve because they were not taught the basic life lesson that they can be whatever they want to be as long as they work hard. At the University of Florida I will gain the skills that are necessary for me to achieve my goals of helping provide a more than satisfactory educational environment in Mississippi and improving the standard of living for future generations.
School in Mississippi is entirely different from school in California. The first thing I noticed was the limited class chooses. I expected high school to have a variety of classes that covered a wide range of subjects, this was not the case. Throughout the year I noticed the teachers' low expectations of the students. It seemed as if the teachers thought that the students showing up for class was a miracle. Not only did the teachers anticipate little from the students, the students themselves expected little from themselves. I met very few motivated people that year. At the beginning of my sophomore year I finally realized why no one was inspired to do well. Not a soul cared, not even the parents, whether the students succeeded or not. Because of the lack of concern for success in life after high school, the quality of education given was diminished. Given that people had a low quality of education, people also had a low quality of life. I saw how little or no education ruined people's life by limiting their opportunities. This motivated me to exert more effort and strive for even higher goals.
My experience in Mississippi has shaped who I am today. When I saw the low standards of education there, I realized that someone needs to improve the standard of education. I have decided to dedicate myself to enhance the level of education that Mississippi students are provided. I want to improve their chances of having a successful life. I have seen many peers settle because they don't think they can become anything more than what their parents say they can be or are. I want to motivate them and help them set and achieve their goals. I don't want to see any more students settle for less than they deserve because they were not taught the basic life lesson that they can be whatever they want to be as long as they work hard. At the University of Florida I will gain the skills that are necessary for me to achieve my goals of helping provide a more than satisfactory educational environment in Mississippi and improving the standard of living for future generations.