2022 NATIONAL WINNER

Short Essay

As an English Education major, my clients - high schoolers - are infamous for questioning the applicability of classroom learning to their future pursuits. Will I use this in real life? - commonly asked by students as they struggle to become their person. A satisfying answer to this question is one I look forward to helping the next generation find. But first, I must answer it for myself. The global pandemic has driven me to optimize the transfer of learning, and to develop adaptability and resilience of character in the years following my own high school graduation. Regardless of my intended major, these attributes and abilities will enable me to help others and succeed in every field, circumstance, and stage of life in which I find myself.

Transfer of learning - or the ability to utilize skills learned in one situation to another context - has been an invaluable tool in navigating life post-high school and mid-pandemic. My freshman year at Brigham Young University, for example, included the normal excitement of ‘leaving the nest’ coupled with a switch to online learning and a diminished job market. But through this uncertainty, I learned to be proactive in the face of fear. I initiated a job search and found a janitorial position to fund my education. By adjusting my study habits, I was able to maintain and eventually end the semester with a 3.90 GPA. Lastly, I learned to foster relationships strained by distance via technology. Though my vision of the ‘perfect’ first-year experience was different from reality, navigating these unexpected changes created a foundation upon which I could later build.

"Transfer of learning - or the ability to utilize skills learned in one situation to another context - has been an invaluable tool in navigating life post-high school and mid-pandemic."

- Rachel A.

This perseverance and situational flexibility transferred from a college classroom to my efforts as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For a year and a half, I left both family and familiarity to serve the people of New York City in the Spanish language. And though San Tan Valley is a bit different from the Big Apple, I was relieved to draw on past experiences as I adjusted to this new challenge. I started my mission with a limited Spanish vocabulary but was able to apply study patterns from freshman year. The potential downsides of a quarantined social life became an advantage as I related, socially and spiritually, to those we taught online. And as I relied on previous abilities, I also developed new capacities for sincere service and self-confidence. My time as a full-time missionary thus acted as a refiner of previously developed skills and as a catalyst for future growth.

This strength was a grounding influence as I returned home to Arizona. Much like a career switch or a change of majors, returning home after an extended time can be disorienting. In a week, I went from navigating subway systems to sharing a car with my brother. And whereas my life was previously filled with Bible studies, volunteering at food banks, and acting as a translator - I began work as a cashier. Attributes and abilities I had strived to perfect as a missionary now seemed obsolete. In moments of frustration, it became easy to question; ‘When will I use [my past experiences] in real life?’

"When educators recognize the power behind the transfer of learning, the future becomes less intimidating. With the knowledge that life lessons are universal, I plan on having an impact on the future of education and my students.”

- Rachel A.

Life, however, is not arbitrary. And while it’s difficult adjusting to home life, I am adapting. Though I no longer walk the streets of New York, I go to work and rely on the resilience gained from my mission to fund future schooling. I practice Spanish, not to share scriptures, but now to communicate with customers. Principles of accountability and self-improvement are still relevant as I continue a pattern of weekly goal setting used in New York. This process of application has propelled me forward and will continue to do so, especially as I return to college.

When educators recognize the power behind the transfer of learning, the future becomes less intimidating. With the knowledge that life lessons are universal, I plan on having an impact on the future of education and my students. But this understanding also comes with the realization; that I might not be a teacher. I could be a baker. A businesswoman. A mother. Or a lawyer. That uncertainty is a challenge I am willing to accept, secure in the knowledge that a college education will give me the necessary experience to succeed in any situation. I intend to use my time at Brigham Young University, not as a single rung on a one-way ladder, but as a foundation on which to build a productive life.

- Rachel A.