If Time Had a Dial by Micheal

If Time Had a Dial by Micheal - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

My father is an avid reader, and not always about things he’s interested in, but often of things he believes it's his duty to be aware of, like world news. My father always scolded my brother and me growing up for not being as aware as we should be. He would often stress how fortunate we were to be born into the age of knowledge, where just about any information we wanted in life was accessible at our fingertips. As assumed, my brother and I, as pre-teens, weren’t too concerned or stressed for knowledge as our father would have hoped.
Fast forward, and now I’ve begun college. Initially, I enrolled as a music major with elective studies in business to support my musical career. Yet, halfway through the semester, I was challenged by a professor to if this was my true calling. That professor was right, and I eventually changed my major to audio production. While my career aspirations are to become a full-time recording and performing artist, I thought studying the music business was my best bet, even if I had to play an instrument on the side to take the classes. But when faced with a dilemma of having no means to release my years of written music, I found a new path.
The only problem was that I had no knowledge of audio production prior to switching my major, which to some was quite bold. Yet, after my light research prior to finalizing the move, I saw the possibilities that flowed from it. So, walking into a new career path, with little to no knowledge, in which I’ll already be behind, what was I to do? Reach back into my past!
Although my father's words didn’t echo in my ears at the time, the spirit of his words did, because I immediately started scouring the internet for information. I spent the next two months glued to my laptop reading article after article, watching YouTube video after video, completing diving into the world of audio. I invested some scholarship money into some standard equipment, and by the next six months, I was recording and releasing my own music independently. My thirst for knowledge in my career field has grown so consistently that my professors now deem me an advanced student due to my willingness to learn outside of the classroom. You can imagine how proud this makes my father.
If I could give advice to my younger self, I’d tell him to activate his imagination through knowledge. I spent many days daydreaming of what my life would look like and making promises on things I’d do in the future. But, instead of just living in my head, I could have been digging into resources that would give me a better idea of my industry and what’s needed to be successful in it. Of course, that’s something I’m dedicated to today, but an early start never hurts.
By the time I was six years old, I’d already figured out how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. From that point on, my days were just about making it happen. As I grew up, I basically assumed that my destiny was sealed and all I had to do was wait for my time. During those days, however, like every child does, I grew more conscious of the life around me and where I started on this Earth. That consciousness quickly developed into fear. As intelligent as I am, I began to think that the probability of me achieving something millions of people wish for was as good as anyone else’s; therefore, I had to work harder every day to increase my chances.
As life went on, those reality checks seeped fear deeper into me by the day to the point where I was constantly being told that I was overworking myself. But to me, that just sounded like you’ve never seen someone this dedicated to their dreams before. However, I was so concerned with my future that I found ways to run through my present completely. Whether it was shades of burnout or complete mental stress that prevented me from living in peace on a daily basis, I encountered it all. It’s still something I struggle with today. A few weeks back, I heard a song while lying in my bed that sent a shock through my body. Vienna by Billy Joel. The song opens up, “Slow down, you crazy child/You're so ambitious for a juvenile/But then if you're so smart/Tell me why are you still so afraid?”. I immediately began to cry as the song would go on the describe my current life pristinely. Through all my years of music, I’ve never felt so seen by audio.
The next day, that song lingered, I couldn’t erase that impact. It almost felt like a message from the universe, especially given my circumstances at the time. That moment started a new journey of patience and peace within myself. Still working towards my goals, but with less sense of panic and desperation, despite my outside world. I wish I could go back to high school me and play that song, because it says everything I couldn’t put into words myself. As ambitious and strategic a person as I am, I should possess no fear of failure. Six year old me was right, my fate is sealed.