Do you want to be successful in life? by Darian

Do you want to be successful in life? by Darian - June 2025 Scholarship Essay

An elective or extracurricular activity that I think should be a required class is life success. The class would be taken every year throughout high school. Students would gain practical and personal skills to be a successful person in life and society. Every student would enroll in the class as a high school freshman and would continue until they graduate. Each year would focus on different “core” lessons while building off the previous lessons learned. Lessons are selected based on what a student needs to be successful, preparing students to be proactive and managing of their new skills. The teacher would remain the same for all four years allowing for a strengthened relationship between the student and teacher. If a teacher can no longer teach their class, a new teacher will come in but keeping the students with one teacher is the goal.
In a student’s freshman year of high school, the course materials would consist of financial planning. Financial planning would consist of students learning how to manage their money, not only better understanding the value of a dollar but also how to put their money to good use. The first year of the class would also consist of understanding how much things cost such as car payments, house payments and loans. Students would also be set up for success by learning about stocks, retirement planning and saving for emergencies. Teachers would be encouraged if not required to be thorough in what they teach. An example for thoroughness is how much it takes to buy a house. They don’t teach students how much a home costs, but rather about down payments, real estate agent fees, and other costs that students don’t quite understand.
Throughout the course, students are required to update a digital or paper booklet with resources gathered from the class on financial tools. The financial tools they are keeping track of could consist of government resources like a website, an organizational tool for time management and or local reliable sources provided by the course. Students are encouraged to update this resource frequently, checking their grades on the tools they administer monthly or biweekly. The digital or paper booklet would be a resourceful tool for students after they began updating it because it teaches them to consistently manage their book. As an adult, it is common to have to check credit card statements or other important information monthly and the resource students manage in class, ingrains a methodical process to keep orderly for future objectives.
For sophomores, the Life Success course becomes less about finances and more about college planning. Students are taught a comprehensive guide on the different majors and minors offered as well as what they both collectively mean. Students would also learn about the different local schools and what they have to offer. College prep was widely accepted at my school to start during the junior year. On a personal level, I was not definitive on a career during my junior year of high school at sixteen. I also did not fully understand all the options that were available to me. The corona virus shut down my school halfway through my sophomore year meaning my high school experience was not normal. Although the coronavirus was an extreme circumstance, many high schoolers do not know what career they want to go into. If the life success class goes to plan, it will be more successful to have younger students (sophomores) preparing for the opportunities college offers while still giving them time to figure out what they personally want to succeed in.
As sophomores, they will also learn about the feasibility of participating in a dual enrollment program next year. Sophomores would learn about taking college courses or entering trade school while still in high school. Students of all ages are offered extra programs to attend throughout the course but that are not required such as CPR training. As a junior, the focus would still be on college but there are counselors now who can also help with the college admissions. The course would still teach relevant information like job resources for students, volunteer opportunities and basic instruction on successful living. The course at this level would also become more relaxed with available time for students to browse and compare schools as well as scholarships. As a junior, more practical life skills would also be taught such as changing a fire detector, changing a flat tire and mock interviews. It should be emphasized that students especially this age should receive local resources. It is important that after a student has graduated and left the school that they feel confident in the resources provided to be a successful adult.
It is senior year!! Students by this time should have a good foundation in financial skills and planning, college resources, other important resources, and practical skills. Senior year would consist of refining the skills previously learned and hopefully putting them to good use. Students would be encouraged to keep their school booklet or digital booklet safely kept away in the case that they may need it. The booklet would have numerous amounts of resources like local resources, organizational skills and practical skills. As students enter the ever-changing adult world, they would have one less worry as the can rely on their foundational knowledge learned throughout the course, along with their extensive resource guide that graduated with them!