Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Just before I break the surface, for a split second, the rippling water stills into a silvery mirror.  My goggled face stares back at me as I begin to take my first stroke, the adrenaline and excitement of the race taking over.  Moments of reflection in the midst of chaos are special, a breath of serenity in the middle of a constant rush from point A to point B. Reflection is a buzzword nowadays.  Self-help books tell readers to reflect on their day.  English teachers tell their students to reflect on books written when their grandparents’ grandparents were kids.  Despite the incessant urging to reflect, I find that moments of truly meaningful reflection are few and far between. Growing up, I always focused on the future, rather than living in the present.  Even when presented with opportunities to give thought to what I had accomplished or the kind of person I was becoming, I instead cast my gaze to the next undertaking, the next success.  I rarely gave thought to how my experiences shaped me as a person.  The focus lay on adding onto a list of achievements rather than growing emotionally and in maturity. Volunteering felt fulfilling not when I saw the smiling faces I saw of those I helped, but when I recorded the hours I had completed. In this pursuit to earn more hours, the summer before freshman year, I started volunteering at the food bank. There, I met Scott. Four or five years my elder, Scott was one of few tasked with helping dozens of families who only spoke Spanish.  People in need of a little bit of kindness naturally gravitated to his friendly presence.  As we assisted the food bank patrons, he told me about his efforts to balance community college classes, a part time job, and his daily service at the food bank.  It struck me that I had met a genuinely good person, who was driven to improve himself and his community simply because it was the right thing to do.  The way his smile reached his eyes has stuck with me since.  His accomplishments brought him joy for their own sake, rather than acting as stepping stones for an ulterior goal. I realized that I wanted to look in the mirror and see myself as I saw Scott in that moment, rather than aiming for the next highlight on my resume. Over the next three years, I looked for what I thought of as “Scott moments.” As I continued to volunteer, I began to see my reflection in unexpected places.  During tutoring, the excitement on a student's face after a tricky concept finally clicked reminded me of the passion I had for learning when I was younger, reigniting my appreciation for knowledge.  Driving to school, I saw my own face in a different life staring back at me holding a cardboard sign, so I began to carry care packages in my car for the less fortunate.  Looking for reflections has taught me that valuable lessons can come from unexpected places- not just teachers and parents, but also my peers, hobbies, and community.  This search allowed the world to cast its reflection on me, and I saw how the people around me cast their own light, rather than focusing on projecting my own. Heading into my senior year, my reflection is clearer than ever.  Although foggy in some spots, not quite a full picture, I’m focusing on my mirror image waving back at me in the moment rather than staring past it into the future.  I treasure new experiences, always looking for a new angle or a more defined picture.  As I continue to grow and learn, I hope my sense of self is reflected just as it is in the moment before I break the water’s surface.