A Seventh Grader

As a seventh grader, I thought I was so mature going out to dinner and catching a movie with my friends in my small suburban town. We would walk into town confidently and independently, clutching onto our little purses that secured our parents' money. When the waiter handed us the bill, we found it gratifying to pay for our dinner without handing it over to an adult, who normally would have accompanied us.

My friends and I spent a handful of nights out on the town. I slowly discovered that my friends persistently handed the bill to me. They always made excuses. They would flatter me with compliments. They said I was the best at math so, logically, I should be the one to calculate tip and divide it equally. After a while, it became second nature. Even as I made new friends, I would automatically tell them to give me the check when we went out. I have always liked life's small challenges. I looked at it as a little post-dinner brain teaser.

Fast forward five years and I am still that "go to" friend. No matter where we are or what we're doing, I am the friend who deals with the money. Surprisingly enough, I don't mind my assigned role. In fact, this past summer I was able to advance my skills when I was offered a position as a finance intern in a small nonprofit organization. The simple math skills I did in my head were further expanded. I learned about different accounting systems. I inputted invoices into the database. I tracked and entered credit card transactions. Instead of simply dealing with bills that require mindless mathematics, I was able to strengthen and mature my own knowledge of math and make it applicable to real world situations.

I have always done well in my math classes. I've successfully completed different courses from algebra to geometry to trigonometry to calculus, each varying in rigor. It is a skill I was naturally given, however it is one I frequently work to improve. I will always want to further these skills because they are important to know in everyday circumstances. During my internship, I realized the advantages of being able to apply these skills to real jobs, which intensified my fervor for math. Although I am entering college undecided, I am interested in a career in the math field. I am not positive as to what I'd like to do for the rest of my life. However, I do know that I love math and being able to explore job opportunities and classes that revolve around