Spanning from April to December of 2023, I held a volunteer position at the charity Sending Sunshine. At the time, the position meant easy, online volunteer hours for my high school resume; however, after serving with the charity for a short time, the impact was far more. Sending Sunshine’s mission is to help seniors suffering from “senior isolation”, a term I had never heard before. After being made aware that millions of seniors around the world suffer from feeling depressed and alone in nursing homes, I knew I had to help. While my position with the charity was a secretary and social media position, I also started volunteering by writing cards to be distributed to those affected seniors. To date, Sending Sunshine has distributed 284,742 cards and it means the world to me that I was able to be a part of that. Being a part of something great like that is what drives me to serve my community on a daily basis. This is why I will be pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering and why I wish to attend medical school; being a part of a team that saves lives will be the most rewarding feeling.

With the rising cost of tuition, housing, and even just living as a whole, saving money has been a frequent topic of discussion throughout my entire generation. This has led to the idea that college might be a waste of money and time. In a society in which wasting money would be detrimental, this statement causes a lot of stir-up. However, to promoters of that idea, I say that not only is college not a waste of time and money, but it is crucial that one graduates college to comfortably survive. It is easy to look at the richest of the rich who didn’t attend college and think that if they can do it, then so can you. Maybe you can; however, it is highly unlikely. One can pick out certain examples to make any point they want, but going by the standard facts and figures of everyone, college graduates tend to make more money than those who do not attend college. In addition, college graduates can typically retire comfortably long before those without a degree. How can one say that college is a waste of time and money when, in the long run, it will only give you more money and save you valuable time working? Even without the facts and figures, how can one look at the world’s heroes like Malala, who took a bullet fighting for education, and say that they fight without a cause? Education will always be worth it no matter the time or money. This is why If I could change one negative thing in my environment, I would change the negative connotation associated with college and paying for it. I wish not a single person in the world would ever have the thought that pursuing higher education is not for them solely because of the cost. I want to try to spread the idea that college can be for everyone and that there is always going to be a way to pay for it, whether that looks like scholarships, grants, or even student loans. I can guarantee there would be more people pursuing a college degree if they only knew the financial aid provided everywhere for every little thing. Shifting the connotation of college and paying for it to a positive one, for even just one person, could change everything. It is my generation that needs to be more in the know about college financial aid than any because we are the future of the world.