“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you
have imagined.” A single Thoreau quote has laid the foundation for
my life. The first time I heard this quote I was sitting in my 4th
grade classroom, listening as the teacher read off the posters
lining the walls. At that time the quote seemed innocent enough but
now I see how much it has meant for my past, present, and future.
I, Benjamin Peter Fox, was born the third child of an eventual four
on December 13th, 1989 and spent the first six years of
my life in the tiny village of Williston, Ohio. My mother home
schooled me as soon as I could talk and before starting pre-school I
had already mastered addition and subtraction. I started pre-school
at First United Methodist church in Bowling Green, Ohio where I not
only learned how to interact with other students, but made friends
who still remain today. Here memories of recess reign supreme while
nap time and ice cream sum up the rest.
At the age of seven my family and I moved to Bowling Green to avoid
the long drives to school. I attended Conneaut Elementary school,
where each year my teachers were nothing short of incredible. For
example; I remember my music teacher encouraging everyone to
participate with a big smile and easy manner that was hard to say no
to. Specifically, I remember a time when none of the guys wanted to
sing and she convinced the janitor to come in and show us that
everyone can sing. Her gentle approach and evident excitement for
the content quickly became a part of myself and I have remained in
various choral groups ever since. 5th grade camp played a similar
role, allowing myself and my peers the chance to put all of our
mathematical and scientific knowledge to the test in real life
situations. Although previous teachers, field trips, and personal
experiences had sparked some interest in the sciences, the week
spent at Camp Campbell Gard excited me like no other, instilling an
ever-present interest in the environmental sciences which has been
explored through personal studies and both high school and college
classes.
In my local school district, 7th and 8th
graders attend the Middle School. The change from home room teachers
to a seven period day was not worth all the hype that led up to it
and the two years spent in Middle School went fairly quickly.
However, in 8th grade I signed up for my first French
class, and discovered another of my main interests, world cultures.
My French teacher, a native of Lyons, was always entertaining but
through all the fun I came out of the class with a competent French
foundation and a new appreciation and respect for cultures different
than my own.
Bowling Green High School was another experience all its own. A
mid-sized school of 1200, my high school education was ruled by the
OGT, Ohio’s answer to proving students are ready to graduate.
History classes and science classes were forced into rigid lesson
plans without much room for real learning and class schedules were
constantly edited to adjust to the test’s content. Outside of these
boundaries seemed to reside the BG English department, headed by
four of the best English teachers anywhere. Because of this my
English classes were the best part of those four years, challenging
not only my writing and reading ability but my knowledge of the
world, current events, and cultural diversity. I continued to study
French to whet my appetite for different cultures, even becoming the
President of the French Club, an honor which I happily held with a
bit of the ability to laugh at myself. Throughout high school, with
the help of these English teachers and a unique Biology teacher, I
continued exploring both the environmental sciences and different
cultures.
I spent the summer after graduating working and experiencing many
new things. Following my dreams, I decided to go skydiving and in
July my sister and I both jumped out of an airplane flying 15,000
feet above the ground. During that moment, just about every emotion
possible ran through my mind, finally stopping on a brand new
feeling called free-fall. This moment not only fulfilled one of my
short term goals but allowed me to reassess my position in the
world. No longer would any aspect of my life be inhibited by fear,
but instead I began to truly live the life of my dreams.
In the fall of 2008 I enrolled in Manchester College expecting to
find a quality education and the well touted helpful teachers and
found not only what I expected but also a new horizon full of
opportunities I had never imagined. I have continued studies in
Biology and French while exploring Philosophy, Religion, and
Education, finding it impossible to pin down one main interest as I
believe that all learning is worth doing and is equally important. I
have already made many friends, joined clubs, and prepared myself to
spend a year studying abroad in France, another one of my dreams.
My education and experiences have shaped me to become who I am
today. With the help of incredible teachers I have been able to
expand my boundaries and test myself intellectually while moving
myself along towards some future career hopefully encompassing my
wide range of interests and my constant desire for learning.
Born in Williston,Ohio in 1989, I, Benjamin Peter Fox, have spent
most of my life in schooling of one kind or another causing teachers
and my education to become the leading factors influencing who I am
now and who I will be in the future. My goal of living live to its
fullest can be seen in the things I’ve done and will be continued as
I pursue my interests in the environment, world cultures, and music.