Having a support system or structure which you can rely on to guide you and tell you where to put your effort is, in my perspective, a large part of why 'school' is valuable to society. When I have nothing going on, I can quickly spiral into a spell of idleness. I need to have goals and have projects I am working towards. For most of my life, school probably took the top spot for things I put consistent effort in. I enjoy putting in the effort to learn something to score high on the test. Education provided a time and a place where I knew if I worked diligently, I would reap the benefits later on. Moreover, a good education is the stepping stone to being a productive member of society. This education includes morals and lessons imparted by your parents too, of course. A few months ago I had a conversation with my boss about school during COVID, and more specifically remote learning. He asked how it really changed school for me, and I explained how I almost completely stopped learning during that time. However, I realized that I was probably much luckier than the rest of the children in school. I was remote my freshman year of high school- a time much less valuable than that of any K-8 grade level. I had to imagine a fourth grade me trying to learn the same things I did then, but over a computer screen. It would simply have been impossible. I am sure my freshman year would've been drastically different if I was in person, and thus my opinion would have changed, but I would take that year over any of my elementary years. My point is that I believe school has been so valuable to me that I look back at my previous years with a very high level of gratitude. Regardless of any mathematics, science, or history course, traditional education has taught me more than I could ever imagine about the world. This realization isn't new to me, though. I try to apply myself 100% in everything I do, which is a lesson school helped me learn. The opportunities school provides for me are so valuable it would be a disservice to myself if I did not at least try. As for the future, I am pursuing a degree in engineering, hopefully towards automotive or mechanical. I love to work on cars, or really anything with a motor or wheels. I wrote my college essay partly about my truck which I took apart to the frame and welded back together. I have to hold myself back from describing the multitude of projects I've undertaken. I could write pages about the boats, dirt bikes, and other various other vehicles I've fixed. Regardless, I think I do well enough in school I could be more than a mechanic. MVRHS has given me the taste of a hands-on engineering education through the automotive program. I am deeply going to miss my automotive class, but it only gives me excitement for an education where I learn to create the things I work on. Again, education played a huge role in deciding my future. My councilors who guided me along the way, my teachers since kindergarten who have all challenged and catered to me, and all my current teachers who pushed me to apply. College is simply the next step for me as I see it now.