ShareThisThank you for welcoming my voice and a youth’s perspective in MegaScene.
As one school year is about to end, I like looking back to reflect on the things that have happened to me as I move up the ladder of my academic pursuit. Next year, I will be in 12th grade, so as you can imagine, a significant amount of my time is currently spent in college preparation related activities which include taking ACT and SAT tests, visiting colleges, getting those letters of recommendations, and making sure that I have demonstrated good citizenship that meets each of the university’s standard that I want to apply to.
I like making some sort of resolution for the future as by nature, humans have free will which allows us to make our own choices and… our own mistakes. Sometimes things get tangled up, but as long as we learn the right lessons from those mishaps, it could be beneficial to our future, make us a better and stronger person, and allow us to gain wisdom that otherwise we may not grasp just by reading books. I think it is very important for youth to learn to mull over on what we have done as well as what we have failed to do.
I am a young person with lofty ambitions who has set her eyes on an Ivy League School. With that comes commitment to invest my time in activities that will get me there. I understand the effort and responsibilities my dreams weigh upon me, but it is something I honestly want to pursue, and will work hard to achieve. This is something that I’ve been thinking and researching about since fifth grade, after an essay in my language arts class lead me to thinking about college education. Having visited several of their campuses, I am more assured than ever that my dreams are worth fighting for! While academic performance is an important part of the requirements, it is not all about grades. It is equally important how I can demonstrate that I have the potential to effect change — to make a difference. The best way I know how to do this is to share with others what worked and did not work for me as a student and as a youth preparing to take my place in the world of adults. I am exerting my best effort to do that primarily through using the power of the pen, writing articles. I hope that you will visit my page again as I share those experiences.
When I was a library aid at Greenville Junior High, in Greenville, Ohio, there was this quote on the wall that I read frequently—and the words engraved themselves into my brain, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars” by Les Brown. I think kids are like seeds. We do need some nurturing and the right environmental support to increase our odds of sprouting beautifully as we explore our innate talents and skills. And even if we miss the target, there is also the chance that we may even go further and achieve something greater than what was originally aspired for.
Even if I don’t make it to that university of my dreams, I will not be devastated as I believe that there is more than one path to a destination. Still, I am going to try—and I think that kids should have the opportunity to pursue what they want out of life, guided by the kind wisdom and reassuring hands of adults.
Editor’s Note: Almost college bound Elizabeth Horner of Ohio got her first newspaper assignment at age 9 from the managing editor of the Daily Advocate newspaper, Bob Robinson, in Greenville, Ohio. Elizabeth was to write an article about Independence Day for the special edition of the newspaper in July 2003. Elizabeth’s article became the front page cover of that edition.