Before I came to my Catholic High School in the midst of my freshman year, I encountered every possible stereotype a Catholic education entails. When I first told my friends I was transferring, they thought I was going to school to become a nun, and constantly poked fun at the fact that I didn't see boys all the time. People at my former public high school, and people at any public high school (as seen on Twitter) argued that a Catholic or private education are no better than a public one. As I progressed through my career at a Catholic high school, the differences between public and Catholic schools became clearer to me. When I first received a tour of my new high school, I was more than impressed by the one hundred percent college acceptance rate, high standards of discipline, and the students' commitment to service, extra-curricular activities, academics, and their faith.

These benefits have all contributed in part to my becoming a better student and person, and it's difficult to overstate how valuable they are. However, the biggest reason my Catholic education has prepared me to make a difference in society is a little more abstract. It's not something you typically hear about in the debate over the relative merits of public vs. private education, but it my experience, it has been crucial. The greatest benefit of a Catholic education is this: it gives students a strong education, then puts that education into context. In other words, it instills the sense that education, and by extension life itself, actually means something.

Within my four years of taking theology classes, I've always admired each teacher's enthusiasm just talking about faith and morality and sharing their knowledge with their students. Even though I am not majoring in religion in college (though I still have to take required theology classes), I will always have a deeper understanding of the true purpose of faith. Believe it or not, I feel like I've found my answer to The Big Question: what is the meaning of life? My Catholic education has helped me answer questions like this and what it means to lead a productive, successful life.

In the same way that any good essay needs a thesis, a unifying strand to hold together the different ideas, every life needs a foundation of faith to help make sense of the many chaotic and challenging episodes that, together, comprise that life. My Catholic education has instilled that foundation, giving me support whenever I feel overwhelmed. I can make a difference in the world around me because I've gained sense that I'm responsible for more than myself, that nobody struggles through life alone, and that there is a reason for everything—whether we understand it or not. Thanks to my Catholic education, I am the person I've always wanted to be: a creative, athletic, take-charge, studious contributor to society, with a bright future ahead of me.