A Sparkle of History by Alyssa

A Sparkle of History by Alyssa - February 2025 Scholarship Essay

Everyone has a favorite subject. I believe I’ve discovered mine: history. It’s influenced me in such a positive way that I’m majoring in it in college.
I will always have fond memories from one class last year, world history. To understand why I appreciated it so much, you have to understand my teacher. Mr. Bergan isn’t your stereotypical history teacher. He’s quite funny—and he has to be to keep the subject engaging—and teaches stories not dates, which I appreciated. As a creative writer I want stories, not dates, so it was a welcome surprise when I found out Mr. Bergan taught the stories, not the numbers. Because of Mr. Bergan and his love for world history and the stories that form its structure, I’m pursuing history as a major.
But my world history class isn’t the only inspiration for my future education goals. I love watching history documentaries in my free time—my favorites being Ancient Empires and Expedition Unknown—always wanting to know more; more stories I’ve never heard before. This passion for finding new stories from history has encouraged me to pursue history as a major because I’ll be learning about historical events I don’t know much about.
I’m giddy about history and this passion overflows into my life. I’m excited to follow this path and see where a degree in history will take me. Will I pursue archaeology, be the next Josh Gates, or something else?