National Merit essay
for all those who care...here's my nm essay
tooke me like 10 minutes...hope you like it
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once wrote, “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” I heard this quote for the first time when I was still in Middle School. At that point in my life, the only meaning I gleaned from it was that if I misbehaved, then everyone would remember me. I won’t exactly say that I took it to heart, however my parents might argue about that.
Now, five years older and 5 years more mature, the quote now means something else. It means that there’s no use for me, as a woman and a person, on the sidelines of life. If I don’t step in and make my mark on history, then my life may very well be pointless. Much of my time has been spent figuring out exactly how to prevent sitting on the bench my entire life. I’ve decided that it comes down to three things.
The first is that I must always question what’s going on. What’s the point of having intelligence if you don’t use it once in a while? If I sit by complacently and take everything for granted, I’ll never truly learn anything, for it’s through constant questioning that we discover the real truths. I’m not one to be told what to do. In fact I’ll often do the opposite of what I’m told. Not because I want to rebel or be different, but because it’s what I feel I have to do.
I also believe that a good portion of my life should be spent helping people. This is part of the reason that I want to be a psychologist. For some reason or another, I was born with or have acquired extraordinary skills. An unwritten contract between the people of this world and myself guarantees that I will use those skills to the best of my ability in order to help those who need it. When I make a difference, I make history.
The last thing I need to do in my life is to make a mark. I want to publish a book sometime before I die. That way countless generations can know what I was thinking at this point in history. Maybe I’ll create a new psychological perspective that will open the eyes of the world to a whole new way of thinking. But it’s more likely I’ll do something small, but equally important. I have the power to make someone’s day that much better with just a smile. And though all I’ve done is stretch a few facial muscles, I’ve left a mark that won’t be forgotten, at least for a little while.
I don’t stand out because I die my hair obsessively. I don’t stand out because I get straight A’s on my report card. I don’t stand out because I write poetry or make jokes at every available minute. I don’t stand out because I misbehave. I stand out because I’m my own person with my own aspirations. And there’s only one me.
tooke me like 10 minutes...hope you like it
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once wrote, “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” I heard this quote for the first time when I was still in Middle School. At that point in my life, the only meaning I gleaned from it was that if I misbehaved, then everyone would remember me. I won’t exactly say that I took it to heart, however my parents might argue about that.
Now, five years older and 5 years more mature, the quote now means something else. It means that there’s no use for me, as a woman and a person, on the sidelines of life. If I don’t step in and make my mark on history, then my life may very well be pointless. Much of my time has been spent figuring out exactly how to prevent sitting on the bench my entire life. I’ve decided that it comes down to three things.
The first is that I must always question what’s going on. What’s the point of having intelligence if you don’t use it once in a while? If I sit by complacently and take everything for granted, I’ll never truly learn anything, for it’s through constant questioning that we discover the real truths. I’m not one to be told what to do. In fact I’ll often do the opposite of what I’m told. Not because I want to rebel or be different, but because it’s what I feel I have to do.
I also believe that a good portion of my life should be spent helping people. This is part of the reason that I want to be a psychologist. For some reason or another, I was born with or have acquired extraordinary skills. An unwritten contract between the people of this world and myself guarantees that I will use those skills to the best of my ability in order to help those who need it. When I make a difference, I make history.
The last thing I need to do in my life is to make a mark. I want to publish a book sometime before I die. That way countless generations can know what I was thinking at this point in history. Maybe I’ll create a new psychological perspective that will open the eyes of the world to a whole new way of thinking. But it’s more likely I’ll do something small, but equally important. I have the power to make someone’s day that much better with just a smile. And though all I’ve done is stretch a few facial muscles, I’ve left a mark that won’t be forgotten, at least for a little while.
I don’t stand out because I die my hair obsessively. I don’t stand out because I get straight A’s on my report card. I don’t stand out because I write poetry or make jokes at every available minute. I don’t stand out because I misbehave. I stand out because I’m my own person with my own aspirations. And there’s only one me.