No cheating is fundamentally wrong because it doesn’t show that YOU know the right way to do something. Cheating is all bout what YOU did, not other students.
I would not say you were “clueless”. You took someone else’s answer and used it as your own. That’s not clueless.
What disciplinary action was take with regard to your cheating? What happened in the class re: your grade? Some schools are more lenient with first offenses and only a warning is issued.
I would not suggest using this as your essay topic. Your essay should be about you as a person. Do you want to be known as a reformed cheater? I would guess you have better topics from which to choose for your essays.