“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world; » This simple statement from South Africa's first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, expresses a fundamental truth of the world: something as simple as education can change everything. An ever-changing geopolitical environment has continued to place increasing emphasis on obtaining a postsecondary education. Despite this, up to 16 percent of all Americans ages 16 to 24 drop out before completing high school and earning a diploma.(1) The question few dare to ask and which I I now face is simple: how my education is the key to a prosperous future. To fully understand the extent to which my education can have a positive impact on the future, two things need to be considered: how education will ensure a prosperous future for me and how it can enable me to ensure a prosperous future for those who surround me. .Before understanding the importance of my education on the future success of society, I must first determine its importance for my personal being. As a graduate, a future West Point cadet, and then an officer in the United States Army upon graduation, the realization of what an education will do for my future is not lost on me; every aspect of education is essential to becoming a successful and productive member of society. The importance of history can simply be summed up by the age-old adage: “those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.” Math and science teach about the world around us and how life works at its most basic levels, helping everyone understand themselves. Language, literature, and the cultural arts all help to equip people with a greater...... middle of paper ......o be the best leader and commander possible, while serving to ensure that others find their lives easily and for free. Horace Mann, a pioneer of American education, simply commented: “A human being does not reach his full height until he is educated.” If humanity is to stand tall and succeed, every member must first be educated.Works Cited1. “The 'dropout crisis' continues in the United States, study finds. CNN US. Cable News Network, May 5, 2009. Web. February 13, 2011. .2. Bell, Sandra F., Gabrielle M. Anderson, Herbert I. Dunn, Brian G. Hackett, and Joseph W. Kirschbaum. “Military Education: DOD Must Improve Performance Goals and Improve Oversight of Military Academies.” . GAO, September 2003. Web. February 13. 2011. .