I like to express my creative side through art; for me that means drawing, painting, crafting, and writing poems. I enjoy doing this because it gives me that sense of liberty; something we all lack in a way. It’s the freedom to express yourself without the risk of being told that you’re wrong; art can be interpreted in a multitude of ways, therefore, no wrong answers. It’s a safety net with the promise of impunity. That’s the reason why art means a lot to me. In addition to the sense of liberty, I do experience that feeling of being “trapped”. Perhaps, it’s because all my life I’ve been told to focus solely on school; to disregard friendships or any other “distractions” that might put my grades at risk. I personally think that school is important, but I don’t think it should be the only component put into play. Thus, art is my form of distracting myself from logistics whilst focusing more on myself rather than others.
Perseverance and Determination
I would say that one of the skills that I favor most about myself revolves around my need to challenge myself whilst maintaining the determination to complete a task. I have always been interested in the idea that no one can limit our knowledge, but ourselves. That concept is what motivates me to strive for more, because I don’t want to limit what I know or the potentiality of learning something new. My use of this “skill” has been evident in challenges I’ve chosen to take throughout the years. However, there is one that sticks out to me most. In my sophomore year, my World History teacher Ross Roemer, held an academic challenge towards students which he referred to as green group. It was optional, and it consisted of reading and annotating college writing pieces, doing the same for books that were selectively chosen to encourage critical thinking, and taking a test after each assignment. If you completed each assignment properly, you were to be given a green group point. If you attained 10 green group points you would be given recognition for your work, by being added to the “green group wall”. I was determined to make it on the wall, and I did. However, I wouldn’t necessarily say that I did it solely for bragging rights. What I loved about green group was the fact that I was learning new things with each assignment. I was no longer ignorant of historical events. Moreover, it made me enjoy history, because in previous years I was never so fond of the subject. Now I have that ongoing curiosity to learn more, which encapsulates my engagement as a student.
Challenges In Life
Three years ago, for about two years straight, was the toughest my life has ever been (at the moment). There was tension within my family, due to the fact that there came to be great trust issues. It took quite the toll on me as I began to lose interest on the things I once thoroughly enjoyed. I went from being a social person to one that chose to isolate themselves. I lost my motivation to do anything. In hindsight, I lost plenty of friends. But surprisingly, my grades didn’t plummet, albeit I was finding it hard to stay focused in school. I didn’t like feeling at complete desolation (I can’t imagine anyone that would), so I decided I needed to change that. I asked for help, which led to therapy sessions and taking medication, for I was diagnosed with anxiety and major depression. I came to realize that it wasn’t so easy to tell a complete stranger all your problems, as one may think. I also hated the thought of medication; it felt as if my stability depended on a pill. I could have given up, and there were multiple times when I wanted to, but I chose not to. Furthermore, through that experience I became a better and stronger person than ever before. It expanded my knowledge on a variety of things (academically and mentally), and it had sparked new interests as well (such as reading psychology books and a strange infatuation with clouds). My love for clouds derives from my new perception that: Life can be beautiful, if we make the time to acknowledge it that. Thus, I feel much more aware of my surroundings, much more grateful for the things that I have, more understanding of the situations of others,and most importantly, the determination to persevere. It’s what inspired me to continuously strive for more. Which is why I am now more involved in school, because now I constantly take on any academic opportunities (such as taking all honor and a college course). I choose to do so, because I know I’ll make it through if I try.
Taking Opportunities
I am one to take advantage of opportunities, so I didn’t hesitate to take a college course when it became available. It is one of best decisions I have chosen to take. Global Politics (the college course), has been a great help, for now I have an idea on what to expect in college. It has caused me to deal with stress, improve my note-taking whilst refining my methods to retain any new information. Before joining the class, I was aware that it would give us college credit if we were to pass it. But I was much more interested in the experience itself. My thoughts were that if I were to take this college course, then I would get a sense on what to expect in college; it would help me feel a bit more prepared than before. I will admit that the college credit is going to help me out in the future, but I’m much more grateful for the experience as a whole. It’s the reason I like to take on challenges, because through trial and error, we come to learn more about ourselves.