And the winner is…Adam Buchta
The Winning Essay
The Different Forms of Water
I never thought about water unless I was sprinting toward the sideline for a quick drink to refuel. I certainly never thought about cancer either. My days as a child were defined by soccer, where I was known for my power, causing others to flinch when I kicked the ball. Nothing scared me back then – not bruises, not pain, not losing. I hadn’t questioned the casual strength of opening a water bottle until 7th grade when I went to get bloodwork done at the hospital.
With a monotone voice, a new face called my parents and me into a room where I was met with a new reality: a doctor I had never met saying, “You son has cancer.”
For the first time, I was the one who was scared. The end of a great soccer season became the start of a three and a half year battle with leukemia. The action of opening a water bottle on the soccer field – once effortless – suddenly became so distant.
Everything changed when water started showing up in the form of IV bags and my mother’s tears instead of bottles, my body needing it now not for performance, but for survival. I was in a dark, windowless intensive care unit for weeks at a time, haunted by the second of machines beeping and infinite new faces. I went from wanting to be professional soccer player to wanting to be alive.
After months of complications, from losing the ability to speak and swallow to kidney infections caused by endless rounds of chemo, I will finally able to leave the hospital for the first time in a wheelchair. When I got home, the first thing I saw was my dog’s empty water bowl and empty bed. I asked, “Where’s Louis?” and my mom whispered, “He died.” I was too tired to try to ask what happened, too weak to even reach for the water bottle at my side.
When my real bed finally replaced the hospital bed, I lay there missing the version of myself that lay there last time – healthy and with my dog. As my isolated thoughts haunted me, I eventually thought about the outpour of support from my community: my mom who stayed by my side the entire time, my friends who Facetimed me, my teachers who filled my email box with support, and the strangers from my hometown who would drop off gifts and meals. Buoyed by their support, I rebuilt my strength bit by bit.
Over time, I gained enough strength to drink my own water. It felt like such an accomplishment. Something so simple in the past took me months to regain the strength to do. Opening a water bottle is now a reflective act for me. I look back on the last four years and realize that strength doesn’t show up as a shouldering pain in silence, but in community. I began to lean on others to rebuild my strength through vulnerable conversations, sharing my experiences, and being open about my struggles.
Leaning on my community has taught me the importance of teams and relationships in terms of communicating openly, by being able to ask for help and support when I need it, while also remaining empathetic and compassionate to others.
My cancer journey has given me the resilience and the tools to bravely face uncertainty. I can now carry these qualities and skills into my pursuit of seeking community on a college campus and beyond, not just to succeed, but to create impact where it matters most.
Battling cancer showed me how unpredictable life can be and has inspired me to widen my perspective by learning from others around me, so I can one day lead my own non-profit that serves families like mine to bring stability and community to a world often out of control.
ADAM BUCHTA FAQ…coming soon
1. What school are you attending?
2. What is your major?
3. What plans do you have after you graduate?
4. What are your interests and hobbies?
5. Share whatever you would like about who Adam Buchta is?
Meet Our 2026 College Scholarship Essay Winner ADAM BUCHTA…coming soon
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