From Falling to Flying by Maria

From Falling to Flying by Maria - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

Unknown to me at the time, the huge clock on the wall behind my opponent was counting down the seconds to my new life. Up to that point, my highschool experience was amazing. I made it onto a competitive volleyball team. The coach wanted me to go to varsity. All my new friends were true friends. I was on cloud nine.

And then I landed after a forearm bump. Crunch. The noise wasn’t just a sensation of hot acid, but an actual crunch that echoed in the room as my team mates gasped. I dropped like a sack of potatoes, all of my dreams collapsing alongside me.

But ending my gameplay was only the beginning. The damage involved soft and hard tissue. I couldn’t stop the silent tears falling down my face as I sat with the doctor and listened to the outcomes of her other patients. My parents nodded to the words, “ongoing physical therapy,” “surgical approaches” and “her new normal.”

My dream was to attend Saint Louis University to become a pilot, so I turned down the prescription medications. The nurses clucked and shook their heads, warning me that I would be in severe pain for a long time and during each physical therapy session. I gritted my teeth but refused to cave. One small moment on that gym floor was teaching me many different lessons about resilience and long term thinking.

After months of physical therapy and internal battles, I managed to surpass all the statistics the first doctor threw at me, and without surgery. Now in my senior year of highschool, I am finishing my PPL (professional pilot license) and am accepted to SLU. My mom said volleyball would teach me life lessons. It turns out it did, just in a different way than expected.