A Controlled Burn: My Trajectory into College by Lily

A Controlled Burn: My Trajectory into College by Lily - August 2025 Scholarship Essay

I clicked on the video out of curiosity. Its title promised me a “Timelapse of the Future” and I wondered what that would look like. It began slowly with a narrator speaking of human advancement, but that wasn’t the best part. It was after.

Trillions of billions of years into the future, where all that was left of the universe were stars slowly dying out or bursting into black holes. This is where it got interesting. The video spoke of multiple universes trapped within one another, dark energy pushing our expanding universe to expand faster, and of heat death, the predicted end of our universe.

Many people might have found that terrifying, but not me. I was amazed. I had never heard of such things: black holes withering away, the death of heat itself, and a universe made of 97% mystery. It lit a spark within me that grew into a fire that continues to drive me. There was so much we didn’t know or understand, and I wanted to be a part of solving it.

I want to discover the unknowns of the universe and answer our biggest questions about it. How did it begin? How is it evolving? What will become of it? I hope to contribute to our understanding of the Big Bang, planetary formation, dark energy, and cosmic expansion while bringing others along with me in that pursuit.

That sense of wonder didn’t fade once the video ended; it propelled me into action. After that video, I took up everything related to astrophysics that I could. I bought and read every book I could get my hands on. I took the highest-level physics classes that I could. I joined my school’s astronomy club and eventually became the president. I volunteered as a math tutor and at the library, helping kids read about science, too. I interned at NASA twice and built my own zero-gravity experiments from the ground up.

While my passion for astrophysics gained both direction and excitement, and my mind reached for the stars, my body and spirit sometimes struggled to just get out of bed. Burnout quickly dimmed the fire that had fueled my ambitions. I had overfilled my plate with responsibilities, and it just wasn’t possible for me to give my 100% to them all.

I learned a lot in my last two years of high school. I learned equations and formulas to last me a lifetime, but more importantly, I discovered my own limits. I realized that I had undiagnosed ADHD and autism, two things that made it especially hard for me to stay motivated despite my passion. But, as I go to college, I will take these lessons and insights with me.

In spaceflight, a controlled burn can be the difference between slingshotting toward your target or spinning out into the void. I’ve learned that my own momentum needs direction and care. I’m launching into college but with my hand on the throttle, ensuring I don’t take myself too far.

This upcoming school year, I want to explore other worlds, not just those found in distant galaxies, but also those in the pages of French literature or the layers of the Earth’s crust. That’s why I’ve decided to pursue minors in both French and geology along with my astrophysics major. Because my curiosity doesn’t just apply to the stars, but also our own planet and the cultures that inhabit it.

Additionally, with more than 1,000 clubs at my fingertips, I hope to join several and become part of their close-knit communities, filled with people both similar and different to me. I’m thrilled to move to an all-new state, meet all-new people, make all-new friends, and be part of an all-new community, where I know that I will be able to thrive both academically and personally.

I’ve already survived burnout, self-doubt, and starless nights. What drives me now is not just the dream of discovery but the promise of growing stronger with each step. I’m no longer trying to do everything at once. Instead, I’m choosing what truly matters and doing it entirely. I’m not just chasing stars anymore. I’m becoming one, slowly, brightly, and on my own terms.