Shelby Ball

English 1010
Cris Longhurst
2/3/15

"Reach For the Stars"

When someone mentions the word "education" most people think about
textbooks, tests, lectures, and a large amount of homework. Growing up, i knew that
education was important. I just never enjoyed school and was never excited about it. Like
myself, a lot of people view education as a burden and boring. However, this is not the
case for me anymore. I had one experience that changed my mind on the subject forever,
and made me believe that i could be anyone, accomplish anything, and reach for the stars.
At the time I was only 18 and it was my first semester of college. I had no idea
what i wanted to major in at the time and was getting frustrated by that fact. i was also
lonely. My family had just moved to Oregon and I had stayed behind to go to school. I
had friends but they were all older than me, and technically thery were my boyfriend's
fruends, so I didn't feel like I quite belonged.
My experience started on a chilly autumn Friday, the early morning light peaking
through the curtains of my 9:00 Astronomy class. The dimly lit classroom contained rows

of desks and chairs, a few of those chairs occupied. Other people slowly shuffled through
the door, several of them carrying a coffee with them, the warm and soothing smell
slowly drifting in my direction. I myself had a coffee as well, and I can almost taste the
bittersweet flavor of it, a little too strong for my taste, but a definite wake up call.
As more people began to occupy the room, tapping sounds from people with
laptops began, sounding a lot like the pitter-patter of tiny shoes. Just then, a small man
with messy, strawberry blonde hair entered the room and quickly approached the front of
the room. This man was my professor, Professor Barnes, whom was a quicky and helpful
man. He was dressed in a pollo shirt and khaki pants, just like always. He was always
very excited about what he taught and never failed to capture the attention of all of the
students. He called the class to attention and began his lecture for the day.
The topic of the lecture was Stars. My professor began by teaching us about the
properties of stars, surface temperature, and binary stars. Throughout the lecture, his
voice and expressions were excited; his eyebrows seemed to dance with it. His arms
would flail around as he tried to demonstrate and idea. After reading of a fact or idea, he
would also pause and simply look at us all, then state it in a clearer way for us to
understand, sometimes improvising little stories to aid us in understanding.
Midway through the lecture, Professor Barnes stopped talking and went to the dry
erase board at the front of the room. He picked up a marker and began drawing small dots
all over the board. Confused at first, I soon recognized them as the constellation Orion.
"In the constellation Orion, there is a very visable red giant star, as well as the
Orion Nebula. If you look up at the night sky tonight, you will be able to see the distinct

color difference between the two," Professor Barnes said.

At the time, I thought nothing significant of the information, except for the fact
that it was quite interesting. Professor Barnes finished the lecture and I left class along
with my peers. My day that followed was normal and ordinary. I went to work at
Supercuts, doing many haircuts. At 8:00 pm when I finally got off work, I recieved a
mass text inviting me to go to a bonfire at a friend's house. Although I wasn't close to that
friend, I decided to go anyways.
At the bonfire, there was many people. They were all huddled around the fire,
laughing and talking animatedly. There were several old couches and chairs set up around
the fire, and I slowly found my way to a cool leather couch off to the side of the main
group. I mingled occasionally to people nearby, but after a long while people began to
leave, signaling the bonfire was over. A few of us remained, quietly looking into the
warm burning fire.
Eventually I drifted off to sleep, curled up on that cool leather couch. When I
awoke I was laying on my back and the fire was nearly out. Getting cold enough for
discomfort, I turned my gaze to the sky. The night sky was extremely clear that night,
especially for a mid October night. High above me, laid out perfectly and bright was the
Orion constellation. On the lefthand side of Orion's shoulder, was the red super giant,
which shone with a pinkish hue. Lower down, in the middle of the knove on Orion's belt,
was the Orion nebula, which shone distinctly blue. And as I looked up at the constellation
and the stars I realized I was extremely happy.
"I want to study the stars," I said quietly to myself.

From that moment on, I decided that no matter how hard it would be, or how long
it would take me, I would get a degree that would allow me to look up at the sky and
study the stars. The stars made me happy and eager to lean, which I had never been so
eager to learn something before.
Because I had this amazing experience with education, I have discovered who I
am and what I want to be. I have created pathways in my life which I never even dreamed
about before. Today, I am currently working on my generals, and planning to get my
associates degree. After I complete that, I plan on going to a four year university and
majoring in physics with an emphasis on Astronomy. I personally believe that anyone can
accomplish their goals as long as they work hard and dedicate themselves to the subject
that they love. Yes, education can seem boring. It can seem pointless, drag on, and often
frustrate. However, education can also excite, astonish, and brighten your life. Education
doesn't have to be how you perceive it. And remember, just like when you look up at the
night sky, nothing is always as it seems.