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Inner peace
The following was my partial response to a question in one of my recently submitted college applications, which asked, “Why do want to go college?”
I grew up in a family who lives for education, so it’s no surprise that going to college was pushed onto my siblings and me very heavily.
My dad believes very much that education is the foundation for a successful life. He has preached that to me multiple times, but until recently I never really took the time to listen. I had assumed that when he talked about being successful, he meant a stable career and a consistent flow of income. Turns out, there’s a lot more to that than I had previously thought.
When my dad talks about success, he’s referring to what he calls “inner peace.” He always told me that I would never come to peace with my life if I lived with a bunch of unanswered questions, and education prevents just that. The more you know, the less questions you’ll have, and it’ll be that much easier to find your answers.
By going to college, I hope to find my inner peace, which is a little ironic considering I’m signing myself up for a heavy workload and responsibilities, and where’s the peace in that? However, I do believe that college will be one of the biggest steps I can take toward living the kind of successful life my dad has always told me about, and I think that sounds pretty great.
For those who don’t know, my Dad, James M. Rayphand, happens to be running for the CNMI’s Board of Education in this year’s election and I think that sounds pretty great too.
Jayda Morelle Rayphand
San Vicente, Saipan
