I love school. I love learning. I have a passion for finding out new information and getting my hands on knowledge.

Most people in my generation, I feel, have difficulty saying any of that. In a country where high school seniors barely make it by because of the dreaded “senioritis,” in a country where college students sleep through their alarms because they just “can’t get out of bed to sit through that boring professor’s lecture," it is important that we learn how to learn again. Higher education is about reaching your fullest potential and becoming a productive member of society. It is not just paying for a slip of paper that says you now know a lot about math. Earning a degree takes time and effort, and for some of us rare students, earning a degree is about learning everything we can possibly learn for $40,000 a year. I propose that some of the less motivated students would be more apt to finish high school, pursue higher education, and achieve college diplomas if they would just look at learning as a passion.

I did not always shout my love for school so prominently. In middle and high schools, it is almost cool to not like school. I would avoid being called a nerd or a teacher’s pet by not shooting my arm up in the air to answer every question the teacher asked; I would drag on to my friends about how I needed a coffee to get up at 8 a.m. for school when I really couldn’t wait to get there in the morning. I had to pretend to be excited for the long, hot summers that broke up school years when really, the thought of buying school supplies and finding out my class schedule for fall was exciting to me. Recently, I had a big lesson from a little kid about why I should tell people I love school.

I work with second graders at the Boys and Girls Club when I am away from school (by the way, I hate being away from school). I teach them summer math, reading and science. One of my students approached me one day and asked me, “Miss Courtney, why do we have to learn? It’s summertime. We are out of school.” I frowned at this student because my heart was broken. I knew that they learned this stuff because most of what is taught in the school year is lost during the long summer breaks without practice and persistence. Although, this whole time I thought that my second graders were enjoying learning basic times tables and about the very first reptile that lived 300 million years ago. Instead of replying with what I wanted to say (Which was: Are you kidding me? This stuff is great!) I replied simply with, “Why do you think you have to learn at school?” The student giggled and told me, “Miss Courtney, school is where we go to learn. That’s why.” We went on with our lesson about living versus non-living things and I kept that thought in my mind. School is where we go to learn. In my head, college had been set up in my mind as an institution where I earn a degree so that I would be set up for the real world and to be entered into the work force. However, school is where we go to learn. Learning is the number one priority of school. Ever since then, I am not afraid to say that I love to learn. If I could stay in school the rest of my life, I would.

I am so lucky to be able to get an education, which is another reason why I proclaim so passionately my love for school. I am so lucky to live above the line. I am American; I’m not impoverished. I had access to great public high schools as well as the opportunity for scholarships in college. I am living a life where I have learned from day one. So many people do not have this opportunity, and especially as a woman, I am proud of the education I have received and will receive in the future. Privilege has guarded so many people in our society from realizing how absolutely lucky we are. I am no better than anyone else, and I did not do anything to deserve my education. But I have it, which means I am going to love every moment of it.

Along with privilege comes opportunity, and that means you have the opportunity to find something really, truly exciting to study in college. If you decide you want to start loving to learn so that your college experience won’t be a living hell, find a passion. For me, I love learning about art and politics. I get asked daily, “What are you going to do with a graphic design and a political science degree, paint pictures of Donald Trump?” No. I am 20 years old. I will have plenty of opportunities and connections to find careers when I get out of college. Right now, all I know is that I love those two subjects. I cannot get enough of them. Four years is not enough time to learn everything I want to know about them. However, that is all the time I have – which is why I am going to make the most of it. Find something you love. If your family is full of financial advisors but you cringe at the idea of business or accounting, do something else. This is your education and your life. It is too short to do something you hate. I promise if you find a passion, maybe that passion will bring you a step closer to learning how to learn again.