My Best Friend, The Rival by Jacob

My Best Friend, The Rival by Jacob - October 2019 Scholarship Essay

Over a single lifetime we are lucky if we meet one or two people who truly influence the course of our lives. When we meet someone who is able to make us want to push ourselves to be the best version of ourselves, we have to hold on to them for as long as we can. For me, the most influential person in my life has been my high school friend Mark.
Normally, it would be expected that when prompted to write about someone who inspires one academically, they would write about their family or a past teacher, but I chose one of my closest friends and biggest rivals. We aren’t rivals in the sense that I am constantly looking for ways to lead to his downfall, but rather, he pushes me to work my hardest everyday so as to not fall behind him. He inspires me academically because no matter how difficult or overwhelming things became in high school, he always seemed to be able to handle the situation with ease and a charismatic smile. Even when we were struggling with the same concepts, he always seemed to figure out the problem before I could. And even though we are going to different colleges now, I still feel his presence in everything I do, pushing me to work my hardest. Before I met Mark, I had always eased my way through school, getting good grades, but never really trying my hardest. It was only when I met Mark that I really felt an inspiration to try my absolute best.
Mark is able to push me the most not only academically, but as an all around person just by being himself. In fact, he might not even know how large of an impact he has on my life. It is by watching him and recognizing how truly amazing he is in all situations that pushes me to not just match his example but to work towards surpassing him. Some people may feel satisfied with just meeting the level of those who they look up to, but for me I want to surpass my hero so that someday they may look up to me. More than anything, I want to be able to look at myself at the end of the day and be happy with my own work.
Competition in itself is not a bad thing. It can sometimes be twisted into such an extreme that it turns poisonous for those in it, but competition within itself only pushes those in it to work harder to be the best version of themselves. I credit much of my academic inspiration to my one of my closest friends and rivals. After all, sometimes it takes someone constantly bettering you to push you to be the best version of yourself that you can.