Minnie K. Patton Foundation Scholarship

PROMPT: This scholarship is open to full-time students who demonstrate a capacity and desire for education as well as their need for financial assistance.

The first day of junior high started at a middle school surrounded by rows of suburban houses sitting on smooth pavements and rich grass. Inside, one could find karate students, PSAT preparatory counselors, one crisp textbook in each student desk, and a library hiding a Japanese children’s book.  Naturally I felt confident in my academic future, assured that this school would make me a competitive candidate in college admissions. While I valued education in this way, my passion for education would deepen only after surpassing my most trying years in my academic journey.

In just a year at my new school, I had taken my first practice PSA and developed a fascination with Japanese phonics that would stick with me in the future. With the number of schools a student could attend being ultimately limited by that student’s address, my mother worked to move me into different school zones, and even a different city if viable. The education system was a maze of discrete steps. And after my first year of junior high, an address change was an educational change. Seventh grade, I was astonished by the stark contrast in educational resources, despite not having moved out of the city. Textbooks were scarce and the use of the ones available was forbidden. To my classmates, the PSAT and SAT were nonexistent, despite both being key, I thought, to educational success. Because I had left from very rigorous courses that the school didn’t offer, I found it difficult to stay engaged in class.

I began to turn inward, interacting less and less with the coursework. Japanese, the only thing that carried over in my transition, eventually became my sole focus. With the vast amount of online resources, studying Japanese gave me a sense of freedom and certainty. Not knowing what school I’d get into, or even what I wanted to study, I loved Japanese and knew that wherever I ended up, a good level of fluency would be achieved. This became my only goal, and working towards it was always fun and satisfying. I realized that education is not a path blindly followed in order to reach a certain destination, but rather a tool that can be used to expand one’s self.

By the end of eighth grade, I had two years of independent Japanese study and could attend the first International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB) high-school in the city, despite all other factors. IB was a curriculum offered in small regions around the world. The focus on research and global aspects in each subject combined with my experience culminated in a passion for the globalization of educational opportunity. Where does the creation of such a world begin? Remembering the empowerment of exposure to language and global ideas, I entered college as a Global Business major.

After taking Global Politics, I decided to dual major with International Political Economy. The course demonstrated that solutions or the creation of new opportunities begin with the actions and policies of multiple stakeholders (governmental institutions, NPO’s, multinational corporations and other for-profit businesses) which play a role in the economy. Most importantly, the course prompted me to connect with stakeholder organizations focused on improving educational opportunity. 

One organization, NextGenVest, gave me the chance to engage with high school students from my hometown, where FAFSA submission rates are lower than in other areas, by walking them step by step through the FAFSA and the college admissions process. Seeing firsthand the action of a startup company making a positive impact encourages me and my vision of globalized education. Since I am only a sophomore, I am unaware of many specific positions in my field, but I am certain that continuing to find organizations and ways to contribute will align my future action in creating a world of globalized educational opportunity.