dont be afraid to be different by andre

dont be afraid to be different by andre - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

In middle school, I see a 7th-grade boy named andre who was constantly trying to fit in. He is constantly trying to be cool, hang with the kids, sagging there pants, slap boxing, and staying up late to play games. I say to him, "you'd be cooler if you weren't trying to be like them". He responds, "Why?" I show him a portal in the future of me, a person who talks to anyone, girl, boy, special needs, or cool, he talks to anyone. He's talented at track, and he has a lot of self-confidence to be his own person. He has his own identity, and he doesn't care what people think because he stays true to himself. He responds, "But everyone likes the other kids that smoke and fight and party". I tell him, but are you like that? Do you feel comfortable following what everyone does and being in the shadow of others who aren't doing right? He responds: "No," I tell him exactly. Be a leader, don't follow others, find comfort in being weird and quirky, and being into things nobody sees as cool. Make it cool and stop trying to budge your way into conversations with people who wouldn't care if you weren't there.

If I could give my past self advice, it would be to be different, be yourself, and create your lane. And do what makes you happy, people are caught up in what others will think is cool, and become a shell of their own selves, and waste potential. Back in middle school, I was the same and very unhappy with myself because I would try and be a person who I never was and when I tried harder to fit in, I was still rejected instead of just not caring and being who I wanted to be. And with this mindset and way of thinking, I have opened doors and opportunities I never would've imagined if I tried to stay the same