Explore Your Options by Amy

Explore Your Options by Amy - March 2019 Scholarship Essay

The most prominent piece of advice I would give, having graduated college is the following: take advantage of the time you have to explore what you are passionate about. High school is a time to get out of your comfort zone, explore your community, and possibly the world beyond the area you live in.

Furthermore, four years can go by very quickly when you are having fun. Before you know it, by your junior and senior year, you and your classmates will start applying to colleges and deciding on what life to lead after school. At this time, I want to let you know that there is always time to figure out what you want to do when these four years are over. You don’t have to go to college immediately. Instead, explore different options (e.g taking a gap year, trying out a few college level courses, working, etc) to figure out if college is the right fit for you. College is expensive. You wouldn’t want to your waste money and time when you don’t know what you want to do yet.

The first year of high school is about exploration, meeting new social groups, and getting accustomed to this new transition. It’s also a year where students can relax and have fun. I explored my identity within different social groups my freshman year. My identity was important to me because I was the only Chinese immigrant in my high school, and also the only Asian American in my town.

By my sophomore year, I started involving myself with policy advisory board and student government associations. I gained leadership skills and built my network among a crowd of student leaders and teachers. I came into my junior year continuing and expanding upon what I was doing. I started a diversity club that included students of color, and the LGBTQ student body. It was a safe place for students to open up and share their experiences.

However, being a first generation in my family to obtain a high school diploma and college degree so far, I wasn’t prepared for what was coming next: college preparation. I didn’t think about colleges or know what standardized exams were. I remember feeling overwhelmed the spring semester of my junior year when I first learned that they were required for college applications.

I learned that the last time I could take these exams was early fall of my senior so that the colleges could receive my scores before the deadline. I hadn’t thought about colleges much prior to this. I recall feeling stressed from the pressure my parents and relatives placed upon me: reminding me of achieving the American Dream to become a doctor or lawyer. But they didn’t know the process, and I wasn’t prepared.

My counselor helped me the most when I came to her. She went through my extra-curricular activities, and explored interests with me. She also noted how I excelled in the sciences. While I was apply to colleges, I was still undecided on what I wanted to do.

I applied to colleges aimlessly because it was what I was told to do. When I found out I was accepted to some of the liberal arts universities, I was happy but also worried. I followed my distant cousin’s steps and decided to major in biology. I was able to do well but I didn’t feel motivated or inspired. By the end of my first year, I made a plan to explore and shadow different professions, sit in other lectures, and attend career network events.

By the end of my sophomore year, I found my passion for medicine and public health when I met the department Chief of Medical Laboratory Science: Public Health professor. His presentation helped raise an awareness on the gravity of the healthcare issues in impoverished regions. His nonprofit project in eradicating tuberculosis in Haiti showed me the difference one person can make.

He inspired me to lead. I started a started a nonprofit global initiative to fundraise for insecticide mosquito nets to families in Sierra Leone, assisted the physically disabled in a local nursing home, and mentored students with special needs. I now aspire to make a difference within my community and in medicine like him; I also hope to travel to developing countries to contribute to their healthcare systems. I never felt more motivated. I was inspired to learn about healthcare ethics, global health issues and initiatives, microbiology, and healthcare leadership.

Reflecting back on my undergraduate studies, I regret not knowing that I could take time off before college. I have a lot of debt because I had to stay another year when I changed my concentration from Biology to Public Health.

Ultimately, my advice is to look at high school as the time to explore different options out there. I learned over time that there are always options. Nothing is set in stone, and the only way to learn about these options is to get out of your comfort zone. High school is a great time to do this because you are free of the stressors of tuition costs, and there is a smaller student-professor ratio compared to college. College is also a place for exploration. Some might say there is more freedom in college to explore but there is always freedom when it comes to figuring out what you want to do.