Surya Education Assistance Scholarship

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” and as an aspiring biomedical researcher, I hope to help others and make a difference in the world through my future discoveries. As the saying goes, “Be the change you want to see in the world,” and that is something I take to heart. In order to reach my end goal, I must work hard and get my education to become the best I can be in my field so that I can help others and change the world. However, in our culture, education is all too often taken for granted. We complain about doing our homework, reading our book assignments, and studying for tests. We groan when the teacher announces a pop quiz, and we moan at every essay assigned. But in other countries, kids, especially girls, aren’t allowed to go to school. The story of Malala Yousafzai is one that inspires me to work hard in class and study late into the night so that I can ace the next exam. She wanted to go to school so badly that she risked her life, and she was shot in the head for wanting her education. Having survived her gunshot wound, Malala continues to inspire learners around the world with her education campaigns. Education is a gift we should treasure, not loathe. Education is the stepping stone to succeeding and achieving our goals and the tool we use to change the world around us. On a very personal level, the ultimate reason that I want to get a college education is to make my family proud. It has been two years since my paternal grandfather passed away. It isn’t until now that he is gone that I truly appreciate who he was. When I was growing up, he was always interested in what I was learning in school. I recently learned that he didn’t go to high school, let alone college. He stayed behind to take care of his family’s farm. I want to go to college and do something he wasn’t able to do. I want to make him proud. On the other side of my family, education is a strong tradition. I am going to be a fourth-generation college student on my mom’s side of the family. My great-great aunts went to teaching college. My maternal grandfather went to the University of Nebraska, and my mom went to a state college. Now it’s my turn. I want to carry on the family legacy of a college education and make my family members proud.