Inflection Points and Further Reflections by Jacob

Inflection Points and Further Reflections by Jacob - February 2025 Scholarship Essay

In calculus, an inflection point represents a shift where a downward-sloping line transforms into exponential growth. The same applies to business, where a company must either decline or break through in order to grow. My inflection point was April 18, 2021—the day I started to read.
I stare out the window.
The baby is screaming.
“Meg.” my Dad prods.
My older sister remains motionless, refusing to quiet the ill-tempered child.
“Meg?”
She is in her own world.
“MEG!”
Her head snaps up, a vicious look in her eyes, ready to pummel whoever interrupted her reading. To my siblings, books have always been sacred, however, it took me many years to feel the same way they do. When I was younger, reading never clicked. I used graphic novels to cheat my way out of reading ‘real’ books and decided that my lack of interest was permanent. My life at this point was what mathematicians would call concave down, a period of decay in the line. I became cynical and determined to be nothing like my educator parents. But reading changed everything. The doors books opened changed my life forever and sparked an era of concave up, or dramatic, unfettered growth.
The first book I read of my own accord was The Power of Habit, an incredible treatise on human psychology. The book enthralled me with its witty anecdotes and captivating insights, revealing the joy of reading. It was a groundbreaking realization that books could be interesting and exciting while also teaching me information that improved and redefined my life. All it took was one book. The inflection point had been reached, and compounding growth began to take effect.
Shortly after this realization, my family began to celebrate the Icelandic holiday of Jolabokaflod. The festival of reading and eating chocolate combined my loves in a powerful way. I devoured books and candy alike, on topics ranging from business to medicine, until my eyes felt like dried prunes. I had never experienced such enjoyment from reading, and the holiday quickly became my favorite part of the Christmas season, further jettisoning me higher on the graph of interest.

The funny thing about exponential growth is once it starts, it never stops. Mathematicians would say the limit at this point is positive infinity, there is no cap to the growth ahead. Similarly, my rate of information consumption has shown no signs of slowing. Devouring literature of all shapes and sizes, I have studied transcendental meditation, investigated evolutionary anthropology, and examined mitochondrial biogenesis from the comfort of my home. Through the doorway of books I have pondered the shortness of life with Marcus Aurelius, debated value investing with Warren Buffet, and analyzed religious texts with the Dalai Lama.
When I was younger, I never wanted to touch a book, but now, I never leave home without one. Whether I am jetting off to Mexico to work with a Christian school, or driving to Florida to lead my triathlon team, books have become a constant companion in my life. They have taught me new languages while hosting exchange students and advised me on recovery techniques before cross-country state finals. I have yet to find an area of my life where reading did not make it better.
While the things I have learned through reading don’t show up on my transcript or give me college credit, they have cultivated a character of curiosity and persistence toward anything sparking my interest. As I ride the curve of exponential growth, my peculiarity and inquisitiveness only seem to increase. During a recent fall ‘vacation’, much to my family’s chagrin, I spent the entirety of our stay lying on the beach reading the Qu’ran, trying to draw parallels between Christianity and Islam. This curiosity has also followed me into the classroom, resulting in a question-asking ban in my AP Economics class. What I will become in the future remains a mystery to me, but I can rest assured whatever field or endeavor I take on, I will embrace it with the same tenacity and passion as when I devour a good book.