High School by Elizabeth

High School by Elizabeth - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

The most significant challenge i’ve ever faced has been getting bullied throughout my childhood for being shy. Throughout elementary and middle school I didn’t have many friends, reason being that I rarely spoke. In elementary school my peers would act shocked whenever I spoke and bullied me by mocking me and asking to repeat myself multiple times. I never took into consideration the comments they would say to me at times, asking why I was scared to speak or if I even knew how to speak the English language.
Being bullied greatly affected me during middle school because I was always too scared and embarrassed to ever ask my teachers or peers a simple question. I always felt a sense of nervousness before I would ask a question. Not only would I feel nervous and scared but I would pressure myself into thinking that my peers would judge me. So if I was ever confused or didn’t catch something the teacher said or wrote down I would never ask anyone for help or to repeat themselves. As well as if I ever needed help during a lesson I would simply wait until I got home to search up material that would help me understand it.
Consequently, being shy made it difficult to have friends in school and to meet new people. However, when I got to highschool I realized that I shouldn’t care if others judge me and what they have to say about me, so I made many new friends and started opening up more to people. Realizing this made me grown as an individual as well as making my self-esteem grow and to not have a problem with meeting new people and being friendly. However, public presentations are something I am currently struggling with and trying to overcome, but I know that in order to succeed in life I must get over this fear. I know I can get over it just like I got over my shyness and being bullying experience.