Traversing the Rough Terrain of Diverse Perspectives: A Reflection on Growth by Wu’s Legion

Traversing the Rough Terrain of Diverse Perspectives: A Reflection on Growth by Wu’s Legion - March 2024 Scholarship Essay

In the inherently collaborative discipline of Cinematography, I've often found myself working closely with diverse groups of individuals. One experience that inspired profound learning and personal growth revolved around challenging circumstances in the pursuit of creating a video game narrative. It was an encounter that underscored the power of perspective and the significance of overcoming hurdles on the path to co-creation.

In my career niche, I constantly cross paths with individuals who provide a diverse range of creative energies, each fueling the overall dynamism of a project. As a freelance scriptwriter, my tasks are both engaging and challenging, pushing me to the edge of my creative bounds. These experiences have significantly shaped my engagement with others and sharpened my adaptation skills in challenging circumstances.

During a recent project for a clandestine video game under development, my team and I locked horns with a differing perspective. One of our teammates consistently lagged in absorbing the team's shared vision, turning in late dialogues and insisting on less popular ideas. Their actions hindered the progress of our project, presenting our team with a major hurdle. The situation necessitated not just my intervention, but a collective confrontation to ensure the success of our project.

In this case, working with someone who has a contrasting perspective turned from an anticipated rewarding experience into a trial that threatened our collective mission. We scheduled a constructive group meeting with the team member and an HR representative to establish a forum for candid dialogue.

In that meeting, we brought the teammate's disruptive behavior to the fore. I drew on my film and video production studies at Full Sail University, which instilled in me the values of teamwork, accountability, and effective communication in achieving shared objectives. The conversation was not just about reprimanding the team member but also acknowledging the room for improvement that existed within us all. We dissected the situation and identified tailored solutions for each team member to ensure a more cohesive working environment moving forward.

My role in addressing this issue, as a Black and Native American trans person, evolved from being a creative mind in scriptwriting to a mediator facilitating conflict resolution. The experience pushed me out of my comfort zone, helping me to grow beyond the technical sphere of my expertise. It spurred the development of my leadership skills and made me appreciate more the importance of understanding and absorbing diverse perspectives, even when they appear discordant.

Furthermore, this experience significantly shaped my approach to teamwork. I learned that constructive criticism and open-mindedness are essential components in a functional team setup. I developed the aptitude for proactive problem solving, a skill I implement in my creative process and in maintaining harmony among my project teams.

In conclusion, this episode was a fundamental learning curve that left an indelible mark on my personal growth patterns and shaped my interpretations of teamwork dynamics. It presented an opportunity for me to rise above the challenges of differing perspectives, propelling me towards improving along my academic journey. Hence, I am looking forward to being granted the Varsity Tutors College Scholarship to hone my skills further and inspire others through my experiences.