A letter to my educators and mentors (draft)

"Education."

--connotes many strong ideas. Coming from Asian-American heritage, I've constantly been told that 'education is my wealth' and I need to focus on it, get a degree, and then get a high-paying job which would build upon the life my parents worked so hard to achieve. And, in my opinion, seeing it as a means to an end is not a bad way to see it at all.

However, going through the education system, I have started to develop my own ideas about what education really is and what the education system means to me.

Through much of my life, I'd been exposed to a lot of different ideas about education. Most ideas revolve around a contrast between focusing on test-based learning and nurturing creativity. In truth, measuring performance and talent by tangible or quantitative data (like salary, grant amount, test scores, or brand names) is an unavoidable practice. But that's not to say that proponents for change are unnecessary. The teachers I find most important in my life are those that have made a point to teach past the tests. Or, rather, they stand by the idea that learning is for the sake of problem solving and the creative process. They stand by the idea that great minds are cultivated and not merely spoon-fed.

Beside the typical ideals, however, I believe that the education system should be a means of "paying forward." I mean, paying thousands of dollars for a degree is nuts but all big investments are. Through it all, I feel heavily indebted to professors and mentors who've not only taught me to appreciate their disciplines, but who have done practical things for me as well. They've been an ear to my personal struggles, written letters of recommendations, and given me opportunities I might not have obtained on my own. The email I send once in a blue moon to update them on my endeavors would never be enough. Yet, I feel like I don't have enough to thank them with. I feel like I don't know how to thank them. Or maybe it is enough and it's just a facet of my character to feel extremely indebted?

This self-examination brought me to my current state of mind.

You could argue that many professors are only about vocational ambition--that rearing successful students is just a bragging right or that their research accomplishments are simply a means to fame and promotions just like any occupation. There are many instances where this might be true. And the reality is that some of my former teachers just didn't exude any sparks of inspiration to students. Or, you hear about teachers on tenure that simply "DGAF." You could look at it very cynically.

But without knowing this contrast, I would not feel as fortunate and grateful to have been under the wings of passionate and talented educators. Further to that, these ones helped me realize that becoming an educator means that you dedicate your life to giving. In a system where schooling is an obligatory component of life, that could go unnoticed by a student. You commit your time, resources, and knowledge to young minds. Your job is to pass on the proverbial torch to the next generation.  And the results could be mixed. Sometimes you get a really nice crop. Sometimes you get late bloomers (I consider myself one of them). Sometimes, no matter how much you tend the garden, you feel discouraged.

I wouldn't say that I am successful now or even that I predict great success in my future. Many of my peers are more successful than I am. However, if there was anything I had to say to my mentors, it is written in this letter. It is an IOU of sorts.

The bottom line is that education gave me an opportunity to, put in comical terms, "use my powers for good"  and eventually make something of my life for the good of others. The word "others" can mean different things to different people: society, your country, your community, your loved ones. Education is empowering in this sense. Put idealistically, it continuously enables my power and freedom to make a difference.

My great debt to my mentors is simply to pay it forward. My ultimate job is to educate--not necessarily as a teacher or professor but even as a normal human being.

I will strive use my powers for good and I accept this great responsibility as a lifelong learner. And, yes, I will strive for my own personal success but I will also find success by enabling others to be successful somewhere down the line. This is the true task set before me as I approach the end of my undergraduate education.