Once upon a time, there was a struggling high school sophomore boy who was secluded, shy, but most of all nervous about trying new activities. However, the boy realized that there are no positives to staying the way he was. He then had to undergo a change that would improve his quality of life. First, he would have to take his first steps outside of his comfort zone. That boy was me, and this is how I changed. It was the year 2021 when I officially started the change, and I was a mix of emotions including nervous, curious, and a little excited.

I wanted to first open and try advocating for myself more because I needed help in some of my classes. Previously, instead of asking for help, I had decided to remain stuck on whatever I didn’t understand. I considered myself dumb if I did ask for help, but at one point I got so far behind in my homework that my mom noticed and asked me what was going on. When I told her, she explained that there is nothing wrong with asking for help. She said that I shouldn’t feel dumb for asking; in fact, I should feel smart because smart people ask for help. At first, I felt uncomfortable and very self-conscious about doing so, but as I sat in my living room with my mother, remembering what she said, I realized that by advocating I would be doing myself an important favor. I then stood up, hugged my Ma, and said thank you. These days, because of self-advocacy, I have amazing grades and a healthy mindset of which to be proud.

With my advocacy situation all sorted out, I decided that I wanted to play a sport. When I told my parents this, they approved. After looking, I decided to run indoor track and field for the first time. After the official start of indoor track, we had a week and a half worth of practice, and then our first meet came around at Nazareth College. I was admittingly nervous but also curious about how I was going to do. While I was waiting until it was time to run my event, all that anticipation made me tremendously energetic and nervous. However, when it was my turn, I performed fantastically according to my coach, earning second place. Afterwards, I was incredibly happy and knew that I wanted to do this again. I plan to do indoor track again, and with some experience and confidence behind me, I have a feeling that I'll do just fine.

In addition to self-advocacy and sports, there was the time I wanted to try out for a higher-level singing group called “Chorale.” I met some of the requirements, so my entry would be decided by a test that I had to take in March of 2022. I unfortunately failed the test, and when I did, I thought, “Eh, that’s fine,” and thought nothing else of it. It was then that I met a senior named Jesse. Jesse told me to try again at Chorale because he thought I would be good at it. With my confidence shaken, I felt unsure of my singing abilities, but with enough begging I eventually retook the test and got in! Jesse helped me to enjoy singing again and feel better about myself.

In these three ways, I have grown as a person by knowing my strengths and weaknesses and seeing my potential. In the past year, these situations made me feel better about myself and my abilities and taught me to step outside of my comfort zone. Today, I am a much more confident person who is comfortable in his own skin.

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