What are my values and what do they mean to me?

val-ue:[val-yoo]
-noun
relative worth, merit, or importance: the value of a college education


When I looked up the definition of value this was the definition the jumped out the most at me. Not only because it didn't have money in it, but also for the example. Clearly we are all here in this school, in our respective chapters, and in this class because we have values. One of our most obvious is that we all value college and the importance of a good education or else we wouldn't be here.


To me college is something I have looked forward to my entire life. As a child I took swimming lessons at my parents alma mater and always dreamt of the dorm life and what college would actually be like. Watching 'Boy Meets World' and countless movies about college gave me hope for a new experience that I was destined, entitled even, to be apart of. I thought this, until I got into high school.

This is my family & they are the reason why I have the values that I do

To them the value of a college degree was never an option. My father paid his way through college and my Mom, well she took it for granted at first and almost had to learn the hard way that a degree is not entitled. Because my family if fortunate to be able to afford schooling with minimal loans I had never taken thought to the fact that some people will never go to college or gain a proper education because they cannot afford it. My parents always made it a point to save money for school, and before I was even a sophomore in high school I was being taken on college visits to relatives former universities and the schools my sister was planning on applying to. I started my search early as a junior having taken the PSAT twice already, the SAT prep corse, and having my mother manage my college board account once a week. I was way more concerned with my social life and the thought of Junior Prom to even consider that this was a privilege that I was taking for granted, a privilege that I should cherish because it will mold the rest of my life.


 If you look all the way to the right that is Bob, my sister's fiance.  He was the person who really opened my eyes to the idea that your education had to be earned... Bob served 2 tours as an army scout. He was shot at, bombed at, attacked, and risked his life for his fellow soldiers as well as us ( the people sitting in our desks, at our computers, taking this whole college experience for granted) all so he could afford to go to school without creating a world of debt for his parents, and so that we could get an education without the constant threat of death or danger. Bob, along with my parents are my heros.

It may seem by now that I'm rambling about how I was ignorant to college and funding and such but I swear this all ties together... For all you country lovers our there, there is a song called "love like crazy" by Lee Brice and the lyrics really apply to my values and what they mean to me in my everyday life.

"Be a best friend, tell the truth, 

and overuse I love you
Go to work, do your best, 

don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin' knees get lazy
And love like crazy"

I value things like education, courage, integrity, dedication, hard work, and love. I'm so grateful to have so many people in my life that have valued those things the same way I do, like my parents and Bob, because they are the reason that I am where I am and I have become the person I am today. They not only share the same values with me but they have fought to make sure I was granted the privileges I have to make me a better person. I couldn't be more proud to say that these people have helped me get to the place where I am today, but that the people I have chosen to share my experiences for the next three years with share those values as well.

I choose to join a sorority and to come to Ohio State was to make new friends, I never realized that the people I would meet would give me the same support, guidance, and direction that I have always gotten at home. These song lyrics above hit hard whenever I listen to it. I want to be the person in this song who is dedicated and passionate about work and love and all of the things that they value close to their hearts. I want people to know that values and they way we choose to live our life according to them all overlap and connect with one another as well as other people. I believe that to become a leader and truly lead successful you have to understand your values: why they are there, where did they come from, and how you accept them. Once you understand that your values will take you wherever you choose to go. For me, in this step of my life, they have brought me to Ohio State, The Design Program, Alpha Gamm, to this class, and to the next best three years of my life so far.