We are sitting on the world’s greatest natural resource, yet we do nothing. No amount of oil, natural gas, or coal will ever equate to America’s greatest natural resource, the youth. The plethora of knowledge that sits untapped, waiting to be brought forth by some external force is perplexing yet unsettling. This knowledge sits readily in Plato’s cave, ready to be brought about by those who have come before it. As one who has not only seen the light, but has embraced and pursued the light, I feel strongly that my call is to be of aid to others.
Whatever I do, I hope to be good at. My dream is to become a pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgeon, a dream inspired by educational curiosity and beneficial servitude. My love for the sciences and the human body have led me to wanting to be a surgeon, for just as oceanographers study the sea and astronomers study the celestial heavens, both in the hopes of understanding a glimpse of their infinitely vast worlds, I want to study the human body, as the human body is, just like the sea and the stars, a world of its own, waiting to be discovered and learned. Despite my anatomic dreams, my Plato promoted conscience tells me that I can not simply study anatomy, I must go back and use my new found knowledge to help others, and my heart advocates towards the children.
Children never quit dreaming. From being a police man to the President of the United States, they pursue that dream within their own realm, as no idea is too big or small to entertain their minds. Why then, do children grow up and quit dreaming? Because society tells them to do so. Society labels large aspirations as out of the norm, as weird, as impossible. Our society has eloped from the American dream, upon which anyone can be successful with hard work, to the idea that only the smartest, only the strongest, only the most good looking are the ones destined to be successful. I want to change that. We may judge a book by its cover, but by God I am going to make that cover beautiful for every boy and girl, from cleft lips to bilateral microtia, because in this harsh society that judges severely on looks every child deserves to feel and look good. In a society that already plagues the youth with reasons to settle for less I refuse to allow uncontrollable personal appearance to be one. In a society that says no I want to help the youth say yes. Say yes to helping others, say yes to doing what’s right, say yes to being a good person.
If I help just one child, give one child the strength to look in the mirror and then go out and do something great for this world, then a true betterment of society has been formed. Education is a key factor in inhibiting an environment of success amongst a society. To achieve my dream, I must stay true to my studies, as it will be close to thirteen years before I am able to truly become an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. With that being said, a large majority of that time will be spent in school, and the cost of education is steadily on the rise. Paying for all that education is going to be challenging, but one that I must face in order to achieve my goals. Challenges in life are never faced alone, and that’s why I am calling upon this scholarship fund to help me in my long series of schooling. Although the scholarship is helping pay for my education, it is truly an investment into the future of this community, this country, and this world as a whole. As stated earlier, the youth of this country are the foundation for our future, and to help me assist them is to ultimately invest into a better future for us all. Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” advocates for those who are educated to go back and assist others in any way possible, so I firmly believe that upon receiving this scholarship it is my duty to pay the act of kindness forward. I want to help the children, but I can’t face that challenge alone. So please, join me in the quest for a better future.