2026 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest Winners
Middle School: 1st Runner-Up – Lenon Toy, A.P. Giannini Middle School
Sometimes I think about where I am right now. Hit with setbacks after setbacks, misfortunes after misfortunes. I always loved the thrill of running in nature, unbound from the asphalt roads and concrete paths I had grown up in. But I could never find time for it, buried in notebooks and my own laziness. I sat at home while everyone else grew up differently from me; while they were playing outside, I was inside only the safety of my home, playing games like Super Mario Odyssey, unaware of everyone else.
So it really hit hard when I woke up one day, and my mom had left. I had always taken everything for granted, especially the people I loved. For the next few years, I tried to pretend she was still here. I left the bathroom door closed. Maybe she was just using the restroom. She wasn’t there when I transferred schools. She wasn’t there when I graduated elementary school. I tried to ignore it, I tried to pretend she never existed. Nothing ever worked. As a result, my life fell completely apart. I became defined by Roblox and obsolete movie references that nobody understood.
Years later, I am currently in the seventh grade, and it seems that everyone has grown without me. It seems that everyone has their own special talent, except me. This was the year I truly realized I had to do something with my life. Then I watched Dipsea Generations. This was my “Game-changer”. What stood out to me was that anyone could win the Dipsea. I saw adults racing elementary school students, high schoolers running with middle schoolers. And I thought, maybe I could keep up, too. Just like Andre. Just like Daniel. Just like the Dipsea, life is all about endurance. Maybe we’re all runners, we’re all marching through life at our own pace.
Maybe it hurt to say it at the time, but I did. I told myself I was worthless, and if I didn’t change soon, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Existence wasn’t ever about short-term dopamine spikes. It has always been about the memories you make along the way. It’s what the Dipsea runners figured out, but what I couldn’t seem to learn. The Dipsea was just an example of an experience I was missing out on.
Sometimes I think about where I am now. Hit with success after success, fortunes after fortunes. I love the thrill of racing, whether on the track, in the pool, or on the trail. After watching the Dipsea, I see the world in a different way. Though I cannot make the shadow of my past disappear, I can step into the sun so it falls behind me.