Recently read this insightful reflection from high schooler, Arnav, in response to the question, "What is one of your core values?"

One core value of mine is integrity and ethics. [...] I learned this value throughout the various experiences I have had throughout my life at school, playing sports, and in other competitions. I have been faced with countless opportunities where I could have cheated or bent the rules for my personal gain. However, I have never taken them, and I feel like those experiences have helped me grow. Time and time again have I seen students cheat on tests and even steal tests early so they can get A’s. I realized that that is completely wrong and at the end of the day, does not help anyone. They don’t learn the concepts correctly and end up failing the next tests, and in competition they do not feel the true happiness of winning, because they know that it was not out of skill, but rather cheating. I have found out that I would rather try my hardest and fail, because then the one time I do succeed, it feels amazing.

The epitome of this idea is a soccer game I played in 4 years ago. My team was winning by one goal, and as the other team was about to score, I had the chance to foul them to stop them. I didn’t, and my team ended up losing the game; had I fouled my opponent that one moment, we would have won. For about a week I was devastated by that loss because if we had won, we would have been in the finals of the tournament. After a while, it struck me that even if I had cheated so that we won the game, I would have felt the same disappointment knowing that it was not because we were a good team, but rather that I willingly made the choice to cheat. This moment had a powerful impact on me, and that is what solidified the importance I place on integrity and ethics.