Empowerly

Student profile

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? 

Welcome to Molly’s 1944: Growing up in World War II America popped out on the book's front cover. History was the last genre I would have wanted to read, but my father’s promise of frozen yogurt got the best of me. As I delved into the book, however, I quickly forgot about the sweet treat. Reading about WWII was fascinating; I sympathized with the war-torn families and prisoners of war. I loved learning about the new technology of the era, analyzing the effects of complex invasions, and examining the war's socioeconomic ramifications. That summer, I discovered an academic passion for American history and politics. 

The following summers, I checked out books and other media on a variety of WWII topics, from important political figures and battle strategies to advancements in science and technology. Through my journey exploring history through this time period, I learned how to assess conflicting pieces of evidence and understood the value of historical data when analyzing the present and predicting the future. These skills and traits later helped me with my research projects, and as a soccer goalkeeper and captain of my Mock Trial team. 

Eager to learn more, I explored history beyond the bounds of texts through a variety of media forms. These forms included political cartoons, which showed me that I learn best when the material is presented with satire and humor. Satire enables writers to  broadcast their views without explicitly saying what they feel, which is what I find most empowering about satire. These cartoons enabled me to recognize the nuances of the war, not view it through rose-colored lenses, and acknowledge that there are a multitude viewpoints of a single event. With documentaries like Ken Burns’ series The War I could relive the stories of the war in four American towns, which provided me with an expansive view on major events in WWII from an American perspective. Listening to the people’s stories and their heroism to defend humanity and democracy, I developed a sense of pride in my country.

Understanding patterns and using them to make predictions became an asset while analyzing data for my research projects outside of school. For one project using historical data, I analyzed how various features of autonomous vehicles currently being built will impact the transportation and employment industries in the future. Additionally, I examined historical data on epidemiological factors of diabetes, like obesity, and high school education to predict or design solutions to reduce this widespread epidemic.

Similarly, the American strategy of island-hopping that focused on targeting less fortified Japanese islands provided me with ideas of how to set-up and direct my team during a soccer game as a goalkeeper. Likewise it gave me an idea of how to formulate a game plan to undermine the opposing counsel during mock trial competitions. Understanding the groundwork behind successful battle campaigns and invasions enhanced my strategic thinking skills, which resulted in wins both on the soccer field and in the courtroom.

The summer of 2012 was one of the most significant turning points of my life. I was no longer bored in history class or indifferent when my father changed the channel to the news. Now I became fascinated in learning and understanding how the past affects how we function and evolve, and I have started to seek out other ways to learn about history. Although it's a nice bonus, I no longer need frozen yogurt as an incentive to learn about history. What started as behavior designed to earn parent approval turned into an intense desire to learn more about history and the impact it had on our society. Studying history fueled a passion in pursuing economics and and the analytical skills I developed by examining history sparked an interest in learning statistics as well.