You'll always be a Dork in my World by Sodanee

You'll always be a Dork in my World by Sodanee - April 2014 Scholarship Essay

In the book Dork in Disguise, Carol Gorman introduces this geeky, unpopular boy by the name of Jerry Flack. He’s been a dork his whole life and decides that he wants to transform into a cool kid. He’s been preparing all summer and finally when he enters Junior High he is invited to roller skate with the pros and begins to cultivate a crush for the most popular girl in school, Cinnamon. From this novel I was able to realize that you should not try to “change,” who you are based on other people’s views or expectations. It’s okay to be “you,” and people should accept that.

For instance, you should never try to be someone else because somewhere out there in the world, some one wishes they were you. Just be yourself because if you do you’ll find people who will truly like you for “you.” Not because you’re some cool guy or rich kid with lots of money but instead because you’re you. It’s nice to be surrounded by people who are your real friends and don’t just act like it and really care about you. Jerry did not feel like he was a part of them or that he belonged there. He wants to join the school’s math team. The problem is if he does he will no longer be able to hang with the cool crowd. After some humiliating incidents and his utter web of lies, Jerry comes to appreciate who he is and accepts it.

In my first year of Junior High, I also had this strong desire to hang with the “popular,” crowd but I never felt like we were actually friends. They constantly talked about boys, clothes and the latest gossip about other girls in the school. I was not interested in that kind of stuff since I was only a 6th grader those things were trivial matters for all I cared. One day, at the school’s book fair I saw this book Dork in Disguise and it gave me a sudden flashback of what I had said to myself in the past. I vowed to myself, “I’m not going to try to be someone else because I love who I am and that’s never going to change.” Yikes, my past self would roll in her grave if she ever saw me now. So I decided I did not want to hang out with those kind of people anymore. Instead I began talking to this girl who rode the bus with me, Kryzia. She loved to talk about books, traveling, Walmart and things from T.V shows. These topics were much more interesting to me and I felt a connection to her.

The popular crowd decided to confront me one day during nutrition and I attempted to walk away in hopes of avoiding them. But they stopped right in front of me like a lion cornering an antelope and demanded an explanation. I told myself, “All right, suck it up and have the guts to tell them the truth.” I stood facing them, lifting my head up and it felt like it was an intense battle. We stood eye to eye and I finally mustered enough courage to say, “I don’t feel like I’m a part of the group and I know that we’re both too different.” “I don’t want to hang out with you guys anymore, sorry.” They stood there paralyzed, eyes wide open and had nothing to say. I strutted with my new friends in triumph and produced a wide victorious smile. It felt incredible.

By the end of the novel he discovers that he does not like acting “cool,” and the truth is he really wants is to join the math team even if it is nerdy. He realizes that he actually likes Brenda who’s a 100 percent geek because she is able to see him for who he is, a dork. This “dork,” was able to reveal to others who he truly was. Same goes for me, once you admit to others who you are you’ll be a lot happier. I got to learn from Jerry that you should not believe that someone out there is better than you because everyone has different circumstances. I am who I am and I love that I am. I would not trade my life with anyone because I am the best “Sodanee Seng,” in this world. True friends will love you even past your flaws and countless mistakes. Be confident about who you are and I know it might sound like a cliché but you will really be able to see the people who are important in your life and feel the same about you. Guess what though, “You’ll always be a dork in my world.”