Smile; It can make a difference.

People often ask me what I think of college. In a way it’s an old question but then again I never grow tired of telling others that I absolutely love college. However, no one ever seems to ask me why I love college. If they were to ask, I would respond with one simple answer: I love the college I attend because on any given day I can look around campus and see at least one person smiling. I know, it sounds crazy but it is true. Even during finals, the most stressful time of the year, I was able to find at least one person smiling.

If you believe me, you might be thinking to yourself, “well that’s nice but it isn’t practical”. However, I disagree. This is because I feel that being surrounded by happy people is beneficial. It is beneficial to me personally because it encourages me to be a happier person but it is also beneficial to every person of every major who attends my college. Don’t believe me? Well, think of this. Happiness is contagious. Because of this, happy people rub off on their boss and their employees. This creates a better environment at work and in turn it creates a better quality of life for the boss and for the employees.

That being said, it all goes back to the smile. At my college, I am challenged every day. Whether it is classes, homework, studying, running, or balancing the student-athlete role, I am being pushed and challenged. But when I get stressed, I know I can leave my dorm, walk out the door, talk a walk around campus, and bump into at least one person who has a big smile on their face. Even if I don’t know them, I can’t help but smile when I see them smiling.  

Personally experiencing the contagiousness of a smile has impacted me. I now realize that a smile can make a difference, especially if you’re a student, tutor, and aspiring teacher, as I am. Now I smile more. And if I can fulfill my duties as a college student with a smile on my face, I feel I have accomplished something. If I can smile while undertaking the current demands of my life, I feel that I can smile through the future demands of my life. A smiling student seems to do better than a content student just like a smiling teacher seems to accomplish more than a content teacher. Because of this, I smile. Most importantly, I smile with thanks to my college who has taught me that smiling is more than an action; it is an investment in the now and in the later. For this and many more reasons, I smile. After all, a smile is contagious. J

This scholarship is sponsored by CenturyLinkQuote.com.