Searching for opportunities to be greater than yesterday

It was ancient Greek philosopher Socrates who said, “All I know is that I know nothing.”

Centuries later, his sage wisdom about our lack of exposure to the world highlights a fundamental truth: by acknowledging how much we don’t know, we open ourselves to new opportunities to combat limitations.

In a self-perpetuating cycle, these opportunities lead to heightened awareness, personal growth, and, unsurprisingly, even more opportunities.

I have lived in Ritzville my entire life, and I am very thankful for the opportunities it has given me to grow in a safe environment and learn meaningful community values.

Those who spend the majority of their life in the same place have the potential to remain still while the world accelerates, creating a disconnect between how they perceive the world and what the rest of the world is like. It’s easy to assume that our environment operates the same way as everywhere else.

This disconnect can be a good thing. For individuals who are content in the environment they know best and believe they couldn’t ask for anything more, remaining in the same place is a perfect solution.

However, I live by the philosophy of making each day greater than yesterday. This does not just include making myself greater, but also leading growth in those around me and solving problems in society.

The pursuit of this goal requires not only the acknowledgement of what I don’t know, but also the search for opportunities that will help me mitigate my own lack of awareness in efforts toward gradual improvement.

As a result, a great majority of my time and efforts in the past few years have been dedicated to preparing myself for opportunities that will act as a platform to launch my crusade against my own limited perception of the world.

This past weekend, my efforts began to come to fruition. After submitting an application to Lafayette College, a liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania, I received notification of my qualification as a Marquis Fellowship finalist.

Named after the French military officer in the Revolutionary War, Marquis de Lafayette, the Marquis Fellowship is a merit-based scholarship worth approximately $164,000 over the course of four years.

As a finalist, I, along with approximately 120 others, were invited to campus for the Marquis Dynamic Assessment Experience, a daylong opportunity for a board of fellows to evaluate and interview finalists. Between 30-40 students will be selected for the Fellowship, with the remaining students receiving priority consideration for the Marquis Scholarship, worth $96,000 over four years.

The Marquis Fellowship is awarded to students whose academic performance and leadership demonstrate potential to contribute to society.

Lafayette College explains that they look for “candidates who combine the highest levels of academic excellence with outstanding personal qualities… [with] the potential to make distinct and powerful contributions to the Lafayette community.”

Based on these characteristics, finalists engaged in introductions, small group discussions, group presentations, and an interview with an alumni or professor.

The experience provided me with the opportunity to interact with phenomenal students from across the nation: including participants in the Dynamic Assessment, as well as current students attending Lafayette.

The peers, current students, and mentors were some of the most passionate and genuine people I have ever had the privilege of meeting.

By any measure, they were certainly the most diverse.

Each student brought their own inspirational story and unique interests to the event, and no two were the same. This created a powerful balance of individuals, diverse in thought but alike in heart, capable of reaching great heights.

Even though the event was evaluative, there was a resounding collaborative atmosphere that emphasized teamwork and interpersonal connections: reflective of the college’s values.

My experience at Dynamic Assessment Day provided evidence for something I have suspected for some time: there are so many fantastic opportunities in the world, to an extent that I don’t even begin to know what I don’t know.

By maintaining a diligent work ethic and continuing to seek out these opportunities, I will allow myself to meet truly amazing people ready to carry the struggle against all that we don’t know, in efforts toward being greater than yesterday.

While I understand not all readers of The Ritzville Adams County Journal will be traveling across the country in the coming months to pursue a degree, I still believe this message can resonate in everyone: recognizing our current limitations and pursuing opportunities can lead to growth for all.