We asked ONE members for submissions to The Big Read book — a collection of stories from people around the world supporting education for everyone. Although only one member story will be published in the book, the runner-up submissions, including the one below from 15-year-old Natasha Warikoo of Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, were so good that we wanted to share them with you.

You can show your support for The Big Read and help ensure a pathway out of poverty for children around the world. Endorse the book by adding your signature here.

Thanks for reading!

-Emily Stivers

Imagine

By Natasha Warikoo
Cincinnati, OH

My life begins here, in the United States of America, where opportunity and freedom soar in the air, filter into my lungs, and penetrate my very veins with every breath I take. Although my life begins here, my being extends endlessly on to the ancestors I have, who lived in another century, another world: India.

My grandmother had very little schooling, and her life followed the path of tradition. She married early, had children, and never had a job. As a woman, she took the well-ridden conventional path, her learning put forever on hold. Time passed, and her experience, not knowledge, grew and thrived in the cold Kashmir valley. Her share of hardships can be seen with the naked eye; each wrinkle holds a story, each crease reflects wisdom. Still, I find myself wondering where she could have been if knowledge had been a priority.

I can imagine my grandmother waiting for my grandfather to come home one day, as night began to fall and the moon blew a few gentle breathes on the world, thinking to herself, “What do I want for my children?”

Education was her answer. She didn’t realize the magnitude of her decision, and how much it would affect everyone after her. Neither did she realize that education was actually not the true answer itself, but was much more important; education was the means by which to know all questions and fulfill all desires. With this one word, my grandmother ensured that my mother and all the children after her would be equipped with the key to any door they wished to open.

My mother got her PhD here in America, and she has become an unstoppable woman whose femininity and strength are both qualities that I marvel at every day.

As a second generation child, I feel the need and desire to broaden the horizons that even my mother had. I have the privilege to be able to make choices for myself, all due to my grandmother’s decision that learning was more important than anything. I dream of entering a nationally or world-wide respected university, so that my career will flourish. I wish to give back to the world I live in, by being a ONE advocate in my community. I wish to work in third world countries as a doctor and treat people at no charge. I wish to inspire children to take full advantage of the freedoms we have in America, and to respect the diversity and cultures of our nation.

Children are the epitome of innocence, purity, and love. The joy in their soul can always be seen in the twinkle of their eyes. I possess the key to education through the sacrifice of family, and I wish to pass this on to others, so that their eyes may sparkle too. My life without this key would be so different; I cannot even picture it. In every illiterate person, I see a story of sadness, and a cry for help. It is important to me to reach for their hands, and press into their palms the key that I was given.

Imagine a world where everyone was literate; every man, woman, and child, with at least a high school diploma. Now, imagine how developing countries could grow. Count how many unseen da Vincis have walked our planet. Add the number of philosophers and multiply the number of civil rights activists. Square the number of authors and artists, and cube the number of doctors. How many Gandhis have lived and died without our knowledge? How many Maya Angelous have walked this earth, but have never been able to express their spirit through poetry? We can only guess.

I believe that with education, anyone can change the world. With education, the soul is satisfied, and we can truly appreciate the world we live in. Education is the purist and most cherished gem that everyone can own. As my mom says, “You must be like a beautiful lotus flower, which blooms even amidst the mud.” Learning is what helps me blossom.