The Dock by Alexander

The Dock by Alexander - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

The mid-July, summer was in full effect; the degrees were getting dangerously close to the hundreds, and a shimmer of the heat was visible on the ground. Instead of fulfilling his dream of sitting at home in the air-conditioned house (away from the outside world), Alex was forced to accompany his family to the lake. As they arrived, Alex surveyed the scene. He saw a beautiful body of reflective, diamond-blue water, spotted with ecstatic children splashing each other and playing. Attached to the lake was a long, skinny strip of sand dotted with lawn chairs and people. Not far off from the lake was a small pavilion with chairs and tables sprinkled with the belongings of the people at the lake. The closer they became, the more uncomfortable Alex was: The noise from the crowd, coupled with the strain of the heat, only added to Alex’s adolescent mind. He took cover behind his parents, eyes down, trying to become invisible, wishing the day would end. Eventually, when Alex’s family settled down next to a lawn chair on the sand, Alex’s mom said, “Why don’t you go play with the other children?” For Alex, the thought of socializing made him dizzy, and he started to protest.
“Bu . . .”
“I am not taking no for an answer,” replied his mother sternly.
Alex slowly turned and faced the water for the first time up close. Immediately, something caught his eye: Not far off in the water was a faded blue, rusty metal platform with a gray carpet stapled to the top. The side facing the beach had a similarly deteriorated metal ladder. Children of all different ages were playing together: They were laughing, pushing, dancing, and fooling around together. Alex wanted to join them, but the distance between the children and Alex was millions of miles.
Still tasked with socialization, Alex proceeded to the foot of the lake. The water rocked back and forth: washing the sand from between his toes. Determined, he pushed forward waist-deep into the water. He was close enough that water from the children’s splashes started to land on him; a drop made its way into his eye—and Alex was startled—but he pushed forward.
Almost neck deep into the water, he passed the first child. Starting to paddle now, Alex was no more than two feet from the ladder. He was right in the middle of the action, and the noise of the children rose to a deafening level.
He was at the foot of the ladder; he put one hand in front of the other, climbing higher and higher until he reached the top of the dock.
Alex looked around as if waiting for some congratulations, but none followed. He waited for 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, untouched. The noise from the splashing ceased, and the children's roar died down to a hum, then to dead silence. Alex glanced around, only to find the beady eyes of every single person in the water staring at him. An older boy ascended the ladder, and as he climbed, Alex could make out only one facial expression: anger. The boy stood fully upright, towering over Alex. Alex could barely look the boy in his eyes, the fear paralyzing Alex to the spot where he stood. The boy reached a mighty hand back—Alex recoiled, shut his eyes, and braced for the worst—only to find that the boy’s hand was lightly placed on his shoulder. Opening his eyes wide, Alex looked at the boy's face, only to find that a huge grin had replaced his angry scowl. Laughing the whole time, the boy then pushed Alex off the dock.
Alex kicked and thrashed around in the water momentarily, trying to resurface. When his head emerged from the water and he oriented himself, he found that all the children had erupted into laughter. Dazed and a little confused, Alex made his way back to the ladder, swimming past the children in the water who patted him on the back and giggled feverishly. Alex re-climbed the ladder and confronted the boy who had pushed him off moments ago; the boy’s face lit up once again, and he said, “Welcome to the dock.”
Years later, Alex would find out that being pushed off the dock was a hazing process. The kids would tease all the new children who found themselves on the dock.
When Alex left the lake that night with his family, only one thing had changed for him: his perception. When Alex swam out to the dock and he was face-to-face with his greatest fear, he was testing the limits of his character; he was experiencing growth. He remembered the pain of rejection and the joy of acceptance, but more importantly, he remembered the conquering of his fears. Years ago, Alex swam out to the dock, regardless of whether he was accepted or not: it represents a distance traveled—a fear vanquished and a battle won. The dock for Alex was not just a moment of friendship; it was a moment that built a foundation for not letting fear dictate who he was going to talk to and, most importantly, who he was going to be.