By Sky Lee*, Franklin High School, October 22, 2025
Scientia gratia scientiae: knowledge for the sake of knowledge, I recently came across this phrase after a conversation with my mother (though I was only half listening), but I eventually ended up curious enough to research more online. The phrase itself describes the process of learning from intrinsic motivation. Of course, however, knowledge without application becomes trivial pursuit. Knowledge needs to be applied to be valuable. Thus, I want to pursue knowledge for the sake of improvement. I hope to be a lifelong learner so that my knowledge can improve my life, and that my experiences can be used to help others.
One of my inspirations is Kobe Bryant's Mamba Mentality, which focuses on pursuit of improvement in all aspects of life. For me, pursuing knowledge will help determine what and how to improve. I remember watching a TikTok about Kobe's mindset, realizing how committed he was to getting better for the sake of getting better, which he called passion. In the video, he mentioned how he would essentially "cold call" successful individuals, such as Oprah Winfrey, in order to learn how their minds worked, and because of that knowledge, he was able to apply that to his life. We know that Kobe was successful as an NBA champion, but he also became an Oscar winner among other successes.
After watching the video, it inspired me to emulate Kobe (maybe I also thought it was fun to interview random companies). I remember being incredibly nervous the first time I tried cold calling. Sitting in my garage, fingers sweating, and reading the script I made with the help of ChatGPT, I called lawyers at Tiemann Law Firm, waiting for them to answer their phone. They never picked up, unfortunately, so I followed up with an email. In the following weeks, I continued to reach out to people to interview. I called a real estate agent's number I saw in my neighborhood, spoke with college representatives at my high school's career fair, and also talked to my friend's mom, who is a pharmacist, about her career. The goal was always to learn more, but through it, I found an interest in pharmacy because of its emphasis on chemistry and improving the lives of others. I learned that the field not only revolves around administering specific drugs to patients, but also having good conversational skills to ease patients with medical problems. Coincidentially, it also demands lifelong learning past college. Learning more about pharmacy made me realize that many of my strengths connect with that field, but I would have never considered the field if I was never curious about it.
I'm still uncertain about my future career, but I hope that I continue with lifelong learning. Knowing more allows me to do more. Having more knowledge is how I can become an expert. Becoming knowledgeable will provide me more opportunities to find a job. Although I don't know whether I'll be a pharmacist, I know that the more knowledgeable I become, the better I will become at any job, allowing me to branch into whatever field I want to pursue.
* A pseudonym
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