A Recipe For Success by Lily

A Recipe For Success by Lily - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

I spend most of my nights slamming bodies onto sweat-soaked mats in an old auto repair shop converted into a wrestling gym. Around me, mosquitos fill the garage while early 2000s club music booms accompanied by shouting in a jumble of Ukrainian and English. Despite the hectic atmosphere, I find myself more focused than ever, knowing that the slightest millimeter-change of position or nanosecond of hesitation can determine the outcome of my match. The meticulousness that I bring to the mat feels embedded in my DNA; it is a trait passed down from my grandfather, Hirochika. Though, I haven’t always been aware of it.
Along with this meticulousness, I inherited a special collector’s edition of Bon Appetit magazine that was published in May of 1991. The tattered pages of the issue feature images of elaborately staged meals along with detailed recipes that outline the processes of creating such artful dishes. Though the content of the publication is nice, my grandfather’s notes and comments that are embedded within the creased and coffee-stained pages give the magazine its value. Seeing as my grandfather had spent much of his life working in a research lab, he possessed strong analytical skills, which he applied to his culinary pursuits by thoughtfully annotating recipes. Each recipe in the Bon Appetit publication features an overlay of carefully detailed notes, describing precise ways in which the dish could be improved. Several adjustments and notes appear scribbled all over page 66, a recipe for Lenôtre’s gâteau opéra: “Ganache needs 2.8 grams more butter,” “Let the eggs sit at 70 ℉ for 8 minutes and 30 seconds before folding them into the cake mixture,” “Whisk the glaze 19 times using chopsticks.” I initially dismissed my grandfather’s suggestions as they seemed excessively precise. What difference could a partial gram of butter make? I never understood why my grandfather took such a diligent approach to his pastime; that was, until I became a wrestler.
Much like my grandfather’s relation to the kitchen, the wrestling gym is my place for analysis and experimentation. I test techniques and study my opponents. I mentally make note of the effectiveness of each decision made, and seek ways in which I can better my strategy. In a recent match I found myself contemplating possible tactics: "If I shift my thumb just a fraction of a centimeter towards the wrist, I can change the pressure point and more effectively snap them down." "If I wait a millisecond longer to switch my shoulder position my arm-drag can be stronger." I began to recognize just how similar these thoughts were to comments that my grandfather had made in the Bon Appetit edition he passed down to me. Though I had been so dismissive of his overtly particular methods, I have now realized that all along I’ve been unintentionally using close analysis to succeed on the mat.
Coming to this realization has made me more intentional in enhancing my approach to bettering myself, whether in academics, athletics or health. As I continue to experiment in life, I strive to implement miniscule beneficial changes, and take note of their effect. I now flip through the pages of the magazine I’ve inherited, cherishing my grandfather’s effort to provide me with a recipe for success. Wrestling has allowed me to translate and interpret my grandfather’s annotations, which clearly state that excellence is fostered through attention to detail and one percent improvements.