In my opinion, if it was not for his experience at Crozier Theological Seminary, Martin Luther King Jr. couldn’t have made the great strides in social justice that he did. Until he attended the Seminary, King was considered unexceptional and uninspired by his teachers at Morehouse. But, this was believed to be because he wasn’t motivated by his learning environment. When he arrived at Crozier, he became invested in his own success after developing meaningful relationships with professors and classmates.
He was even elected class president during his junior year. He excelled at Crozier and was shaped into one of the most influential people in history. Martin Luther King Jr. serves as an excellent example of the power of education. Education, accompanied by support and encouragement, has the power to craft the mind of an individual deemed unexceptional or passive and grant them the chance to achieve things that they were incapable of doing. My parents have continuously ingrained the importance of education in me throughout my entire life.
When they moved to America after fleeing the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, they had to go back to school, and they owe some their success to their time at the University of Louisville. Watching them struggle and reap the rewards of their efforts has shown me that education goes far beyond memorizing material for class. It challenges you and provides you with opportunities to learn, network, and grow as a person. My experience with education has been a difficult but encouraging one. Perhaps the most pivotal point of my education has been the diversity I am surrounded with.
Attending one of the best high schools in the state has exposed me to vast diversity which challenged my beliefs and led me to mature faster than friends at other schools. For example, in one of my classes, the person on my left is Indian, the person behind me is Jamaican, and the person to my right is Bosnian. Cultural diversity is just the beginning. I am surrounded by some of the most talented people I have ever met who can make provoking art, choreograph beautiful dances, create city-wide magazines, win the Siemen’s competition, and much more.
Diversity within education is essential to the growth of students. Being surrounded by people who think, act, and talk like you doesn’t teach students perspective. That is why I am grateful for opportunities like the Porter scholarship which gives talented students an opportunity to get scholarships and contribute to the diversity of the University of Louisville. Another pivotal moment in my high school career occurred during my junior year. I never had the opportunity to meet my grandparents, visit the family farms, or play with my cousins in Rwanda. I don’t speak my parents’ native language.
Until seventh grade, I never met anyone outside of my immediate family. My parents and two older sisters were the source of any information I knew about my family. I felt isolated from my own culture, but during junior year, I was granted the life-changing opportunity to visit Rwanda for the first time. The most memorable moment of the trip occurred on Christmas day. We traveled on a bus for three hours to visit my mom’s side of the family and four generations of my family gathered at my aunt’s house. At first, the language barrier resulted in a lack of meaningful conversation.
The silence became uncomfortable, so as any other millennial would, I retreated to my phone. An hour later, our phones died. The only thing left to do was to go outside and play with family and neighborhood kids because in the art of play, language barriers do not matter. We found a way to enjoy each other’s company with simple games and laughter. They taught us how to have fun with little materials. We played soccer until I noticed an older woman who was visibly sick sitting on her porch.
I asked my sister why no one was helping her and she responded: “She an’t afford an ambulance or car to take her to a hospital. Even if she reached the hospital, they have limited resources. ” The lack of basic health care in the village dawned on me and gave me purpose. This experience served as a reality check. Upon realizing how fortunate I am to have easy access to health care, I decided to dedicate my life to those who don’t. After my return, 1 created a club called Louisville Miracle with some friends who share my passion. We started meeting with representatives of Kosair’s Children’s Hospital. Our goal is to raise as much mone as possible to benefit children in the NICU.
We want to leave a legacy that future generations of manual students can participate in and it gives me immense joy to think of how the program can expand even after I graduate. The culmination of my educational experiences has guided me to the medical field. After college, I plan on going to medical school. My ultimate goal is to open a health organization in Rwanda. Hopefully, I will be able to open other branches in neighboring countries and even continents. I believe that everyone should have access to health care and basic medical knowledge.
If I’m granted this scholarship then I will use it to further my education and take advantage of every opportunity I encounter to better myself as a student and as a person just as Martin Luther King Jr. did. I plan on participating in a variety of different clubs such as the black student union, student government, and research opportunities. I will strive to be a leader for my peers to look up to so that they can know that they are capable of anything. During my time at Manual, I have learned that I have a duty to help change the world. I hope that my time at the University of Louisville is marked by the efforts to do just that.