When I was six years old I met the love of my life. It wasn’t a person but a sport, it was Triathlon. We kept this love for thirteen years, until one day I just couldn’t keep going. I didn’t quit out of choice, I felt like a fog slowly entered my life. All the things that I loved, suddenly didn’t matter as much anymore. The races no longer made my heart race, the pool started to feel cold and unfamiliar, and my bike, which once made me feel like we were one when I rode it, felt heavier. When this happened, I thought I was just tired and needed a break. But as time went on, the feeling only grew stronger. I started to lose myself in the process. The little kid who couldn’t go a day without riding his bike, now even struggled to get out of bed. I knew my parents were proud of my journey, which only made things worse. Quitting felt like betraying them and all the support they gave me. I practiced triathlon for such a long time that it eventually became a part of my identity. I thought losing it would be losing a part of myself, at least I thought that was how my parents would see it even though they never said that. Depression is a hard feeling to explain. I guess if I could describe it to the best of my ability, I would say doing something as simple as making your bed feels like climbing Mount Everest. I didn't realize I suffered from it until I was already too deep in it. I like saying it’s like an owl, it flies in complete silence until it gets you. The person I was once: the kid with early mornings, strict routines, and medals on the wall, didn’t matter anymore. When I think about my process, I’d say that was what scared me the most. Passion decay. When I walked away from my first love, I thought I was weak. But looking back now, I see that it wasn’t weakness, I was just trying to survive. I had to let it go to find out who I was without it, and as I did I began to put my mental health as my number one priority. This gave me room to just be myself, a teenager. I focused more on improving my close relationships as well as my grades, and very slowly I started to feel like myself again. I don’t know if I’ll ever return to the sport I once loved. I’m sure about one thing though, if I do, this time it’ll be for myself. Not to prove anything, not to win, and certainly not to make anyone proud, just because I love it. A valuable lesson I learned from this whole process is that just because I’m taking care of myself it doesn’t mean I’m giving up. It means knowing what I need in each chapter of my life. When I was a kid I thought being healthy meant being strong. Now I realize that health isn’t about that. It’s about knowing when to take a break to breathe and ask yourself what you really need. Now, it doesn’t matter what I’m doing whether it’s school, work, or life, I always carry that lesson with me. I stopped chasing perfection and instead chose to chase peace, discipline, and meaning. That’s how I’m going to build my future, instead of running from the pain I will learn from it and honor the person I’m becoming.

Since I was a little kid, I’ve struggled with depression. I have never been a social person, which only made things harder for me because I isolated myself. This created my love for animals, I always felt more comfortable around them than with people. There were times when life felt completely meaningless, shutting down my emotions and avoiding others like my friends or family. I didn’t seek help and went through my days in silence, it was the same routine: go to school, come back home, stay in my room all day either sleeping or just resting. Every task, even making my bed, felt impossible. One of the best things I had was my passion for Triathlon, so losing it was one of the hardest things that has ever happened to me. It was more than just a sport, it was my first love, something I built my life around. I trained triathlon for about thirteen years and my passion for it was always there, but at some point it went downhill. I would go to practice and just sit in my car doing nothing, not even looking at my phone, just sitting there, disconnected. That was when I realized that something was deeply wrong with me. So when even this stopped working I knew I had to face the reality of my mental health. Depression is one of the worst things that could happen to a person, but it had one positive outcome for me, it sparked my love for extreme sports. There were times where the consequences didn’t matter to me, win or win, right? I threw myself into risky situations such as learning snowboard flips despite being Mexican. Fear didn’t hit me the same anymore, but eventually the rush of adrenaline made me feel alive again, just like triathlon used to. In a way, I find it ironic that extreme sports was the thing that helped me rediscover the value of life. My love for these sports isn’t about escaping reality, it’s about connection and presence. I have never attempted to take my own life, but I completely understand the mental exhaustion that drives people to that point. The statistics on this matter break my heart, they’re devastating and I can’t help but think that I've been in that place. There’s a quote that Johnny Depp said, and I deeply relate to it, especially on this topic: “People cry not because they’re weak. It’s because they’ve been strong for too long”. What happened to me changed how I see life, my relationships, and how I define success. Since I was little, my main goal in life was to become rich. I still want to work in finance and become an investment banker because I genuinely enjoy math and numbers. However, my reason has changed, money doesn't hold the same value anymore. I’ve come to the realization that what matters more is purpose. We’re not guaranteed anything, we only have one life and you start to truly live it once you realize that. Even if every little task feels like climbing Mount Everest, I want to be there for others. In conclusion, these experiences have taught me life isn’t about being happy all the time, it’s about experiencing everything: joy, sadness, struggle, and to try to find beauty in all of this. I still fight my battles, but I know that I’m no longer hopeless. I’ve learned to take a second to remind myself that these feelings will pass and that there’s always more ahead. This has made me overall stronger and connected to what truly matters.

My biggest fear in life isn’t spiders, heights, or the dark. My biggest fear in life is not being enough. More than anything, what keeps me up at night is the thought of failing to make my parents proud. I want to be someone more extraordinary than they ever imagined, and not out of ego, but out of love and admiration. They have truly given me everything, and the best way I know how to repay them is by becoming something greater. For them to look at me and be able to say “We raised him right.” The concept of success varies from one person to another, but for me it’s about building something bigger than myself. Whether it’s a company or a legacy, or even a family that knows I gave them everything. I do want financial freedom, I want to reach a point where money is not a constant concern in my life. But I also want joy, peace, and meaning. There’s a quote from writer Patrick Meagher that I live by: “Sometimes you’re so poor, the only thing you have is money.” That is simply not the life I want to live. I aspire for both wealth and depth, I want to have a wife who genuinely gets me, and to raise children that are kind, smart, and strong. I want to be for them what my mom and dad are to me, someone they can look up to. I’m still a freshman in college, but in the next five to ten years I see myself working as an investment banker at a major firm like J.P. Morgan or Goldman Sachs. I know the hours you have to put in this career are brutal, but it’s the environment that I’m looking for. I want to be surrounded by sharp minds, pressure, and high stakes. That’s the kind of place I thrive in. After spending a while working as an investment banker, approximately a decade or so, I plan to take my earnings and knowledge to build something of my own that represents who I am. However, success to me isn’t purely about business, it’s also about living a life that’s exotic and full of adventure. If I had the means I would constantly travel all around the world tracking my favorite animals. For example, I’d go to Russia to see Siberian tigers, Patagonia for pumas, Canada for polar bears, and so on. As long as I can remember, I’ve always loved animals, especially those that represent strength and independence. Maybe I see a part of myself in them, my own ambition in raw and powerful form. This scholarship would mean everything to me. It directly supports the vision of success I’m working toward. Coming from Mexico, to be able to study here in the United States has opened doors for me that I could’ve never imagined. However, it comes with a price. My family is really struggling to pay the tuition and the pressure it creates is something I carry with me every day. Receiving this award would allow me to focus entirely on my goals, that includes excelling in my academics (as I’ve already shown through earning a 4.0 GPA), breaking into the industry of investment banking, and one day building something of my own. In conclusion, despite everything I’ve talked about in this essay, including my goals, my ambition, and my work ethic, there is one simple truth. I just want to make my life count. I want to become the kind of person who gives back to the community, whose parents can look at and be proud of, the type of man who builds and leads. This opportunity would not only help pay my tuition but also fuel my purpose. I’m ready to keep pushing past the limit, to never stop growing, and to chase that vision with everything I’ve got.

Since I was a little kid, I’ve struggled with depression. I have never been a social person, which only made things harder for me because I isolated myself. This created my love for animals, I always felt more comfortable around them than with people. There were times when life felt completely meaningless, shutting down my emotions and avoiding others like my friends or family. I didn’t seek help and went through my days in silence, it was the same routine: go to school, come back home, stay in my room all day either sleeping or just resting. Every task, even making my bed, felt impossible. One of the best things I had was my passion for Triathlon, so losing it was one of the hardest things that has ever happened to me. It was more than just a sport, it was my first love, something I built my life around. I trained triathlon for about thirteen years and my passion for it was always there, but at some point it went downhill. I would go to practice and just sit in my car doing nothing, not even looking at my phone, just sitting there, disconnected. That was when I realized that something was deeply wrong with me. So when even this stopped working I knew I had to face the reality of my mental health. Depression is one of the worst things that could happen to a person, but it had one positive outcome for me, it sparked my love for extreme sports. There were times where the consequences didn’t matter to me, win or win, right? I threw myself into risky situations such as learning snowboard flips despite being Mexican. Fear didn’t hit me the same anymore, but eventually the rush of adrenaline made me feel alive again, just like triathlon used to. In a way, I find it ironic that extreme sports was the thing that helped me rediscover the value of life. My love for these sports isn’t about escaping reality, it’s about connection and presence. I have never attempted to take my own life, but I completely understand the mental exhaustion that drives people to that point. The statistics on this matter break my heart, they’re devastating and I can’t help but think that I've been in that place. There’s a quote that Johnny Depp said, and I deeply relate to it, especially on this topic: “People cry not because they’re weak. It’s because they’ve been strong for too long”. What happened to me changed how I see life, my relationships, and how I define success. Since I was little, my main goal in life was to become rich. I still want to work in finance and become an investment banker because I genuinely enjoy math and numbers. However, my reason has changed, money doesn't hold the same value anymore. I’ve come to the realization that what matters more is purpose. We’re not guaranteed anything, we only have one life and you start to truly live it once you realize that. Even if every little task feels like climbing Mount Everest, I want to be there for others. In conclusion, these experiences have taught me life isn’t about being happy all the time, it’s about experiencing everything: joy, sadness, struggle, and to try to find beauty in all of this. I still fight my battles, but I know that I’m no longer hopeless. I’ve learned to take a second to remind myself that these feelings will pass and that there’s always more ahead. This has made me overall stronger and connected to what truly matters.

Since I was a little kid, I’ve struggled with depression and mood changes. I have never been a social person, which only made things harder for me because I isolated myself. This created my love for animals, I always felt more comfortable around them than I do with people. There were times in my life where living felt completely meaningless, I would simply shut down my emotions and avoid others like my friends or family. I also didn’t seek help and simply went through my days in silence, day after day, night after night, it was the same routine: go to school, come back home, stay in my room all day either sleeping or just resting. Every task, even if it was something as simple as making my bed, felt impossible. One of the best things I had in my life was my passion for Triathlon, so losing it felt like hitting rock bottom, making it one of the hardest things that has ever happened to me. It was more than just a sport, it was my first love, something I built my life around. I trained triathlon for about thirteen years and my passion for it was always there, but at some point it simply went downhill. I would go to practice and just sit in my car doing nothing, not even looking at my phone or sleeping, just sitting there, disconnected. That was when I realized that something was deeply wrong with me. Triathlon was the one thing that gave me immense joy, everything in my life could be falling apart but not that. If I had a bad day I would go train, If I had a fight with my parents I would go train, and so on. So when even this stopped working I knew I had to face the reality of my mental health. I believe depression is one of the worst things that could happen to a person, but funny enough it had one positive outcome for me, it sparked my love for extreme sports. There were times where the consequences didn’t matter to me, win or win, right? I got myself into situations that were risky such as learning how to do flips on a snowboard, even though I’m from Mexico and we don’t even have snow. Fear simply didn’t hit me the same anymore, but as time went on the rush of adrenaline I got from these sports made me feel alive again, just like triathlon used to. In a way, I find it ironic that extreme sports was the one thing that helped me rediscover the value of life. My love for these sports is not about escaping my reality, it’s more about connection and presence. I have never attempted to take my own life, but I completely understand the mental exhaustion that drives people to that point. The statistics on this matter break my heart, they’re devastating and I can’t help but think that I've been in that place. I like to talk about this openly and decided to include it in this essay, because it’s something that I think about often. I believe it’s absurd that so many people feel like the only escape route they have is ending their lives. Especially in men, we need to create a culture where asking for help is not a weakness but a strength, it’s courage. There’s a quote that Johnny Depp said, and I deeply relate to it, especially on this topic: “People cry not because they’re weak. It’s because they’ve been strong for too long”. What happened to me has completely changed the way I view life. It changed my relationships, and even how I perceive the concept of success. Since I was little, my main goal in life was to become rich. I still want to work in finance and become an investment banker because I genuinely enjoy doing math, and numbers. However, my reason has changed, money doesn't have the same value to me as it used to. I’ve come to the realization that what matters more in this life is purpose. We’re not guaranteed anything, we only have one life and you start to truly live it once you realize that. I want to find meaning in what I do, I want to live my one and only life with intention, encouraging others to keep going even when everything seems impossible. Even if every little task feels like climbing Mount Everest, I want to be there for others. These experiences have taught me life isn’t about being happy all the time, it’s about experiencing everything: the joy, the sadness, the struggle, and to try to find beauty in all of this. To this day, I still fight my battles from time to time, but I know that I’m no longer hopeless, I know it gets better. I’ve learned to take a second to remind myself that these feelings will pass and that there’s always more ahead. This has made me overall stronger and connected to what truly matters. In conclusion, my experience with depression has shaped every single part of who I am. It’s shaped my beliefs, made me more empathetic, and even helped me to understand people a little bit better, even if I’m not a person that likes to socialize. It has shown me that everything in this life, all of it, can be overcome by moving forward no matter the circumstances. What I’ve learned is that strength doesn’t necessarily mean to never fall apart, it means to do so but get back up even if it hurts. Depression made me feel useless, like I had no meaning, but it also helped me discover the things in life that really count: connection, meaning, and being resilient. Life was never meant to be perfect, but moving forward with purpose is what gives it value. Even if every day doesn’t feel like a win, simply taking the decision to keep going is a victory. Always move forward.