The Journey, Not the Destination by Henry

The Journey, Not the Destination by Henry - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

In a 2022 interview with People magazine promoting her program to empower young girls through sport, professional tennis player and mental health advocate Naomi Osaka said: “For me, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to try to be present in each moment. It’s easy to lose sight of how far you’ve come, but I’ve been prioritizing trying to live in the moment and enjoy the journey.”

Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Osaka’s claim about embracing the present moment is valid.

This was the prompt that appeared on my screen as I was taking the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition exam this past school year. The complexity of this particular type of essay on the exam was that I was required to write this entire essay without any provided evidence. The College Board, the organization that wrote the test, wanted me to write an essay using only prior knowledge from my brain. Instead, given my circumstances, I decided to pen a message from my heart.

You see, the exam shared the same day as my final day of high school. It was a final 6:00 AM wakeup. It was my final morning bike ride to school. It was the final day of sitting through my classes. It was the closing chapter of my high school story. And, throughout each chapter of my high school story were the friends I made along the way.

These were the friends who were with me in that very same exam room that day, but they were also the people that were with me and supported me every single day, through the highs and the lows. In hindsight, I want to thank my friends for so many things that I didn’t fully appreciate back then. I want to thank them for the fun moments we shared singing songs around the campfire at 5th grade camp. I want to thank them for all of the fun virtual Zoom meetings we had that made COVID lockdown so much more enjoyable. I want to thank them for all the video games we played together during class instead of paying attention to the lesson. I want to thank them for all the car rides they gave me when I didn’t have a car. I want to thank them for all of their help on homework. I want to thank them for buying me snacks when I didn’t have the money.

This past year, for my college applications, the rejection letters came rolling in and my tears came rolling down. But, I found strength, hope, and support from my friends. When life became a dark and dangerous path, my friends were there to light the beacon of hope to guide me in the right direction. In the group chat, they kept repeating and telling me the same two words: “I believe”. This collective support erased my worries, and I eventually forgot about the applications that were the source of my worries in the first place. And then finally, when I received an email that read “Congratulations…” with an acceptance letter to the University of Pittsburgh, their Honors College, and their Guaranteed Dental Admissions Program which provides direct admission to their dental school directly from high school. As an aspiring dentist, this program was one of my top choices, and I truly want to thank my friends for all of the support they provided.

Even after I walked across the stage and received my diploma, my friends still took the time to text in the group chat, “Henry, it’s a new chapter of your life, and as this one closes I’m happy to be part of your story, and proud to call you a big part of mine. Just like Sathvik said, the fun times we shared are priceless. Locking in for AP chem with Viraj, playing ping pong with the gang after AP tests, and watching those soccer games were some of the happiest moments I ever had. I’m sad to see you go but happy you were there, and thank you for all the memories we have made together.”

This time, I was crying a different type of tears, not tears of sadness, but tears of nostalgia and happiness. I forced myself to smile, because as the old saying goes, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” I’m grateful to all of my friends, and I promised them that I will continue to show the same amount of kindness and compassion to others in my future dental career as they have shown to me.

Thus, when I read Osaka’s quote during the exam, I jogged down memory lane. People say money can’t buy happiness, and I’ve realized this is true as no amount of money will be able to buy back the priceless memories I shared with my friends. If I could give one piece of advice to my past self, it would be to live in the moment and soak in the experience before it’s gone. Focus on the journey, not the destination, because joy is not found in finishing the activity but in doing it.