I am the type of person who strives for a life rich with opportunities for personal growth. Ever since I was little, I have struggled with being shy and a crippling inability to be confident. Middle school brought out the worst of this, where I receded into myself so far I didn’t remember how to come back out. It took a lot of work, with slow progress, to manage this self-consciousness and learn how to be myself again.
Coming to college was the turning point I finally needed. I forced myself to meet new people by attending a school none of my friends from home had even heard of before. I joined Colleges Against Cancer to meet more people. I left my door propped open in my dorm hallway. I applied for an internship in the Creative Writing department. I took as many courses as my schedule allowed – and sometimes squeezed in one more. These steps enabled me to branch out, make friends, and grow as a person. The experiences I have had since my freshman year have only furthered this progress, and I now feel significantly more confident in myself and my abilities. I am now the secretary of Colleges Against Cancer, am close friends with several people I met freshman year, and the campus internship has improved my professional skills immensely. Every summer I take on a new job, from working in customer service as a cook to assisting at a preschool center.
While I am so grateful to be in a different place than I was in middle school, I also appreciate the struggle I went through to get to where I am now. With each of these experiences, I learn more about the world around me and get closer to discovering my place in it.
PASS!