Tell us about an experience, in school or out, that caused you to rethink or change your perspective. What impact has this had on you? (maximum 200 words)
I was fifteen when I discovered that my mother read books. It happened in the springtime during my family's annual pilgrimage to our cottage. I sat in the backseat with my eyes glued to The Count of Monte Cristo, carefully positioned under the strip sunshine that slipped through the window. Just as I became engrossed, my mother turned around and told me to stop reading in the car.
"Fine, but you have no idea how incredible Alexandre Dumas is," I complained. It was only two weeks into my obsession with classic European literature, but I already felt like a refined woman of high culture.
"I finished the majority of European classics before I turned sixteen," she chuckled. I was awestruck by her revelation. For the duration of our drive, I sat in humble silence as my mother articulated the dramatic rivalries between 18th century romancers that I had no idea about. I made a mental note to be wary of overestimating myself and underestimating others. After all, I needed to recognize the greatness of others so I could learn from it; as Dumas would say, "one's work may be finished some day, but one's education never."
