One Small Step by Daniel

One Small Step by Daniel - August 2025 Scholarship Essay

Nearly 12 years ago, I stepped out of a car and into the school system that would be my home throughout the entirety of my education. A large leap out of my parents' arms and into the start of school, and one small step towards achieving my future. Now, just weeks away from starting my senior year, I realize the journey is truly better than the destination. In my senior year I aspire to achieve three major objectives, to try my hardest to achieve the future I want for myself and not the one I would have to accept otherwise, to set up my future after highschool as smoothly and seamlessly as possible, and finally to enjoy and not take for granted the time and opportunities I have left.
For the longest time, I have battled between career paths, whether I wanted to be a crime-fighting astronaut as a child, a doctor as a kindergartner, or a pharmacist as a middle schooler. My career and future are not decisions I have taken lightly, and as I reflect on it now, I know that not doing all that's in my power to give myself the life I want would be amiss. To quote NFL legend Tom Brady, "I didn't come this far to only come this far." The life I want is out there, and all I need is the ability to work for it.
This summer, I have talked, reviewed, and created countless possibilities for life after graduation. Between weighing options of reach schools to those more obtainable, it helps me put into perspective the transition that will have to be made. Between the cost of college and lifestyle adjustment, I know how overwhelming a time this can be in people's lives, which is why I aspire to make the transition as easy as possible.
I have roughly one year until life takes me down a different and unfamiliar road, one that still isn't illuminated quite yet; however, I know now to make the time I have left count. Oftentimes, people don't value what they have until it's gone, whether it's your new car whose engine blows up or a loved one taken prematurely. As I look back at how the time has flown by, I know the value of the time still ahead of me and am more motivated than ever to make it count.
As said in an all-time classic, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." A simple yet incredibly meaningful reminder of the importance of what comes next, whether it be my senior year of high school, my freshman year of college, or my first day at a new job.