STUDENT ESSAY
45 Minutes
BY ANNA JONES ’ 24
I
I drive 45 minutes to school every day . 45 minutes ! Imagine all the things you could do in 45 minutes . In 45 minutes you can do a whole workout . In 45 minutes you can cook an entire meal . In 45 minutes you can complete the English section of the ACT . But instead of doing those things , I drive . I drive 45 minutes to school , and I drive 45 minutes back home from school . As I drive I watch the road in front of me , but I also see things flying by on either side — farms , fields , animals , fences , trees . As I pass each one , I know they are now behind me . It does not mean they are not there anymore ; they are . It does not mean I cannot still see them if I try , because I can . And it definitely does not mean those things can no longer affect what is ahead of me . Many times as I have driven those 45 minutes , an animal that ran away before will move out in front of me or a tractor that I pass has distracted me from the road ahead . What is in the rearview mirror when my eyes meet its reflection matters .
My dad was the first in his family to graduate high school . After graduation , he decided to serve six years in the United States Navy Submarine Service . Between deployments or whenever he could find the time , he would take college courses . Nine months after leaving the Navy he finally finished his bachelor ’ s degree . While working , he went on to law school and earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence three years later , something no one in his family would ever have imagined . Through continuous hard work , real commitment , and an education he fought for , my dad has changed the trajectory of his family . My life experiences growing up have been very different from his , from my grandparents ’, and from generations beyond . It ’ s been said that we all enjoy the shade from trees that others have planted . Well , my dad ’ s selfless actions created this shade for me .
So now I drive 45 minutes to school every day . 45 minutes may be a long time in my mind , but it can ’ t compare to
It ’ s been said that we all enjoy the shade from trees that others have planted . Well , my dad ’ s selfless actions created this shade for me .
the years of my dad ’ s life he spent working towards more . Imagine all the things you can ’ t do with simply 45 minutes ! In 45 minutes you can ’ t graduate high school ; it takes effort . In 45 minutes you can ’ t serve in the military ; it takes training . And in 45 minutes you can ’ t complete law school ; it takes dedication . I drive 45 minutes so that I can get the education my parents wanted for me , but ultimately I do it to do my best each day to honor my father ’ s sacrifice and service that created this pivotal point in our family legacy . As I drive those 45 minutes , I remember the values instilled in me by the two people who have stuck by my side .
Pursuing something that matters is not just for my own benefit or even my family ’ s benefit , but to the community each of us uphold . The things on either side of me may be flashing by but when I look into that rearview mirror I see my family ’ s sacrifice and want to contribute to a standard that improves the lives of others now and later .
——— Anna with her father
Derrick Jones
14 PURPLE & GOLD 2023-24