What is one of my most memorable learning experiences?

Disclaimer: I ended up using most of what's written here in some of my college application essays so please do not plagiarize or utilize without quoting (I mean you shouldn't plagiarize regardless, but you get what I mean).

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Imagine a sticky-fingered, brown-haired, five-year-old girl sitting in the window seat of an airplane, happily sipping a box of apple juice.

Unbeknownst to this little munchkin, she’s about to experience a life-changing revelation.

As the plane flew over Long Island, I remember looking out my window and spontaneously realizing that all the flickering lights on the ground represented actual people who were experiencing their own versions of life. Their own versions of reality. All at the same exact time.

Unable to express my astonishment in words, I gave a shout of joy (and promptly sank lower in my seat as adults around me exchanged worried glances). The embarrassment quickly faded and I spent the rest of the plane ride gaping out that foggy window, imagining the lives of the millions of strangers below me. Right at that moment, an old woman was sitting alone in the love seat that used to hold two... a couple was cooing in delight at their newborn baby... a young man was staring blankly at an eviction notice… a little girl in a blue polka-dot dress was skipping down the sidewalk, sipping a box of apple juice identical to mine.

I didn’t know it at the time, but that insight would forever change the way I looked at the world.

The wonder, curiosity, and joy that I experienced that night are qualities that lie at the very heart of the learning experience. Whenever children actively learn new information - like the concept of numbers or language or distance - their brains get a euphoric rush of endorphins. That’s why active engagement and collaborative discussion in classrooms is essential for establishing a long-term love of learning.

In those settings, learning becomes addictive.

During high school, I was lucky enough to experience several learning environments that were structured around the integral qualities of curiosity, wonder, and collaboration. One of those classes was Design Thinking.

Design Thinking introduced me to inquiry-based/project-based learning and the design thinking process. I worked in a colorful, flexible space with my classmates. We identified problems in our daily lives and went through the dt process to come up with innovative solutions to those problems. We redesigned our classroom as well as our middle school's library, spiraling through the empathize-define-ideate-prototype-test cycle with each project.

I cannot deny the academic benefits of taking this class. I came to understand more about how people interact with their environments, and began to see the purposes of processes, objects, and places that I used every day. I hadn't thought of it before, but everything is designed with a specific purpose in mind. It's great to develop the analytical skills to understand why they were designed the way they were and how we might improve upon those designs as the world evolves.

But what really stuck with me is the environment and culture that thrived in the classroom.

The crazy thing is that even though I had Design Thinking during the last period of the day (a time when I was usually tired and sluggish) I got an invigorating rush of energy and excitement the second I stepped into the classroom.

The flexible seating arrangements and friendly, conversational atmosphere opened the floodgates for creativity and innovative ideas. I loved it so much that I brought the design thinking concepts into my independent studies, becoming significantly more motivated to do my own research as a result. I created miniature inquiry projects, doing research on metaphor and decision-making at my little sister’s elementary school and working with mentors to clarify confusing concepts in neuroscience and psychology.

Taking these classes reinforced my resolve to maintain a childlike mentality, and to never lose the sense of awe and curiosity that comes along with moments of insight.