Learning Can Be Philosophical Too by Ayomide

Learning Can Be Philosophical Too by Ayomide - July 2026 Scholarship Essay

I looked around the classroom while my theology teacher read Plato's No Exit in bold declarations, enunciating key philosophical concepts. Students stared into complete oblivion, while some dazed off in a prolonged slumber throughout the period. In my head, I couldn't help but think of how mundane this whole concept was. Hell is Other People. I didn't really know what it meant, and even after my teacher had analyzed a huge portion of the text, I still struggled to grasp surface details. Shortly after, we received a pop quiz, and the only thing that popped up in my mind while staring mindlessly at the sheet in front of me was about why all this mannered, and how this weighed meaningful to theological concepts. Nevertheless, I wrote what I could. Without fully understanding the nuances of Sartre's argument, I focused on what I did know: that No Exit challenged the understanding that humans had towards freedom, responsibility, and the consequences of our choices. I realized that I didn't have to cite the names of each character in the play or memorize significant quotes throughout the reading; I was still able to grasp the core message, mixing it with my own interpretations of the three important principles. I learned to ask better questions, weigh competing perspectives, and build my own interpretations from evidence. A pop quiz that initially felt like a test of memory ultimately became the moment I began thinking more critically.