In honor of college decisions and applications time, I am sharing my college essay. This essay defines who I was my senior year of high school. It is what helped me get to where I am today, at the University of Delaware. While I no longer run nearly as much as I used to, it still holds an extremely special place in my heart. Running will always bring me to a place nobody can find me where my mind is connected with the world around me. Shoutout to everyone who has helped me with my journey as a runner (UDXCTF forever). I encourage everyone to accept the challenge, and share their college essays as well!

"The wind whistles hello. A bird chirps in the distance. Damp leaves cry old raindrops off trees. Two feet pound the ground, as the ground pounds equally back. Everything is in sync. One unified song of peace.

I breathe in the music of my surroundings, exhaling my frustrations, my worries, my cares. It hurts a little at first. My exhausted body isn’t used to the peace this environment brings. I look up at the sky, down at my feet; all around I see the sweet sounds composing themselves to a melody before my eyes. I keep going, and I smile, realizing I am playing my part to the piece.

Apart from one goal, everything in the world is irrelevant. One focus: to keep going, to put one foot in front of the other, and breath in and out.

All that once mattered vanishes like vapor in thin air. Time is not of the essence. My feet break flawless sheets of ice in a deserted wood while the barren world is frozen silent.

I’m on a road. Heat radiates up like steam from a teapot. I see a figure approaching me as I move closer. Blazing heat scorches my neck as I, ever so slightly, tilt my head upward, a universal hello to the passing of one in a blissful universe of their own: the timeless runner’s nod.

My knees drive upward on a chilly fall morning. Leaves crunch as my calves ache, praying for the earth to break even. I continue up the slant, head faced forward, for I can see the end a few feet ahead.

One cannot point their finger on a globe to find where I am. This is not one specified location. It’s a continuous destination. It’s a state of mind, my mind, where no other can go. Anyone can contribute a part to the song I am singing, but nothing can replicate my part I am composing for it. Nobody can find me, my place.

When I run, I am one with the Earth. I am unified with my surroundings, whatever they may be. It doesn’t matter where my body is so much as where my mind goes. When I run, I go to a place where I am untouchable. I am overcome with a feeling of complete and utter euphoria. There is no place I can ever go where I will feel as content as I feel when I am going. When I am moving my feet to the rhythm of the song life sings.

In essence, I will never feel alone even in the loneliest of places. When I run, I take my home with me. Wherever I go, I reacquaint myself with my state of mind that brings me at ease. There is no feeling quite like it that brings me such gratification.

My breath is heavy by the time I reach the top. Hands on hips, I look around. I have stopped, however the Earth continues to spin around me. In the crisp air, a slight breeze of wind rattles in my ear. The bird is still chirping. The leaves are still dripping. Everything is still singing. I breathe in the harmony of all things of existence. What a day it is to be alive."