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Past Winners of the
Dale E. Fridell Memorial Scholarship
A Portion of Brett's Winning Essay When most people
think of college, they think of a place to learn what
they need to know to get a good job. Now, I would not mind getting
a good
job, but to me, college is much more than that. College is an
opportunity to
learn about life. The lessons one receives in college are not
limited to
classroom instruction, nor is their application limited to the
professional
world. A good college educates the whole person and helps to prepare
its
students for the rest of their lives. I have found just such a
school.
Completing my degree program here at Cedarville University will
prepare me
for the rest of my life by broadening my base of knowledge, honing
my
ability to think critically, and increasing my ability to serve
my fellow
man. It was not by accident that I chose a liberal arts school
with an
interdisciplinary Honors Program. The wider my base of knowledge,
the higher
the towers of understanding I can build upon it. In my freshman
year, most
of my classes were devoted to meeting my general education requirements.
Some of those classes dealt with philosophical history (a part
of the Honors
Program), speech, and writing. I have since continued that pattern
(though I
have long since satisfied the general education requirements),
as this
semester I am finishing a four-course sequence in the history
of philosophy
as a part of my philosophy major. I am also taking another speech
class
purely for the benefit of honing my communication skills. The
broader my knowledge in general, the more I can do, and the more clearly
I can
communicate, the more effective I will be in putting that knowledge
to use
in whatever I do. Critical thinking is of utmost importance, especially
in
today's world. This is the Information Age. I find it interesting
that I
have never heard it called the Understanding Age. The world is
at the
fingertips of today's student, but who can make sense of it all?
I
personally believe that proper interpretation of the Bible is
the key to
understanding the world around us. Thus I am pursuing minors in
both Bible
and Biblical Greek. I also expect my major, Philosophy, to be
helpful. In
this major I am studying such concepts as logic and ethics in
order to
better understand the world around me and the world within me.
If anyone
thinks critically, philosophers do. If one reads much contemporary
philosophy, though, one will see that critical thinking based
on nothing
leads to no helpful conclusions. This is another reason why a
minor in Bible
will be helpful. From this solid foundation, I will be able to
use critical
thinking to make real sense of this world for myself and for others.
Before
I move on to how college will increase my ability to serve others,
I think
it necessary to explain why I want to serve others. I could give
the stock
answer: "The Bible commands it." This is true, and it
should be enough.
However, it would be dishonest for me to say that there is not
more to it
than that. The importance of the Biblical mandate to put others
above myself
has appeared in many areas of life, including what others have
done for me
and what I have done for others. My father died of complications
brought
about by his cancer when I was 13. I loved him like, well, a father,
and his
loss was tough. However, the Providence behind his premature death
has since
become very evident in the changes it has brought about in the
way I view
the world and my role in it. My mother took Dad's death the worst
of
anybody. She lost the man she had loved for over 25 years. Suddenly,
she
felt alone and overwhelmed by the decisions she had never had
to make
before. As the oldest male at home and later the oldest child
at home, Mom
needed me to grow up-fast. With her at work and the youngest of
my five
older siblings going off to college, responsibility for my two
younger
brothers fell on me. Though decidedly unpleasant, my new roles
as leader to
my brothers and comforter to my mother forced me into a newfound
maturity of
character. I was still without a father though. All too often,
children in
single-parent homes become rebellious to authority because they
feel
abandoned and unloved. I have observed and definitely understand
this. I,
however, was very fortunate. The men of Camden Baptist Church
picked up
where my father left off. The youth pastor at the time organized
a boys'
discipleship group specifically for boys in one-parent homes.
Other men
have, I believe, watched for and jumped at opportunities to help
me in any
way they could. One man shamed me into daily Bible study, which
I continue
six years later. Another man has advised me on dating, offering
his own
experience as support. Three other men have helped me fix my vehicles
when
they have broken down. Still others have simply set a clear, Biblical
example of what a man ought to be. If not for the men of Camden
Baptist
Church, I do not know what sort young man named Brett W. Smith
would have
graduated high school three years ago, but I am convinced he would
not be
making either of his fathers proud.
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