Surfs Up! by Montana

Surfs Up! by Montana - April 2026 Scholarship Essay

In the next few years, I hope to master surfing. I first went surfing when I was only 10 years old. While living in Florida, my school offered a trip to Costa Rica, and my mom and I happily signed up. The minute I saw surfing on the itinerary, I was overjoyed. I’d always wanted to be a beach girl, and I loved watching surfing videos and movies, but I never got the chance. After going, I realized surfing isn’t my strong suit. I didn’t have a chance to do it for years because I lived on the Gulf and then moved to Nebraska, but when I vacationed in California when I was 15, I thought I wanted to try again. Now, I did dance for 10 years, so I had the balance down, but when it came to paddling through the harsh waves of the Pacific, my arms were noodles by the end of it. You might be thinking, why would this girl want to master surfing if she lives in Nebraska? Well, I just committed to Pepperdine University in Malibu, California!
This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending Admitted Students Day there. Going into the day, I wasn’t sure if I was going to attend for financial reasons, but my mind was quickly set on the school after the weekend. The moment it hit me that I didn’t have a choice in attending was when my future roommate and I were sitting on a tiny beach across from where we had lunch, and there were 27 surfers out in the water. Although many of them were men, I saw a woman out there, conquering the waves, and I immediately knew that I needed to move here and do the same.
My first plan of action in developing this skill is to join the Pepperdine surf club once I get on campus. The club consists of students who have already mastered the skill and newbies, just like me. The students with the skill give an introduction by showing others on the beach how to get up on the board and the proper stance for it. During this instruction, I will be sure to pay close attention and ask for pointers on tricks to improve my surfing. I will attend these meetings consistently to ensure I get as much knowledge from my peers. Another point of action I will pursue is by taking the school’s surf class. The university requires three “life” classes, and surfing counts! By taking this class, I will have an actual professor who will help us with surfing. This will be helpful because it is more professional help than a student could provide. Lastly, I will practice on my own! I will recruit my suite mates and ask other friends to come join me on the beach so we can all master surfing together. With this scholarship, I would be able to start this new skill and hobby by lessening the financial costs this university will put on my family, so I can pursue surfing while having time for my academics.