Pages

Monday, December 9, 2013

"Untitled" by Alyssa C


I grew up extremely shy with terrible anxiety, I was lonely all the time, and bullied because I did not fit in with the “it” crowd. I either dressed weird, wore too much black, or my nose was flat, and even to the fact that I weighed more than average girls, or I had a really awkward laugh… the list goes on and on.  In high school, I still had tough insecurity issues that affected my relationships with friends and family.  It even affected me academically, and I lost hope and motivation to do anything at all. I lost many of my relationships with people all around me, and what was worse was that I lost myself as well. I realized I could not spend the rest of my high school career moping around with no hope. I knew this was not me; it was not the person I saw myself to become. I started to gain courage and eventually learned to talk to people more easily. I honestly feel like my sense of humor is what got people to like me, for example, when things got awkward, I just made people laugh!
Anyway, by my senior year, I had made friends with many wonderful people. I ran for Class President and during election time, all I thought about was, “how ridiculous, I would never win.  Three best friends, couple of posters and flyers, and a few hundred votes later, “Congratulations to your new Senior Class President, Alyssa Che.”
It took me until the end of four years to figure out myself, to have a grip on who I truly am, and how? By being Class President. I know it might just sound like a stupid title to you, but to me, it was a title for myself. It let me learn to be proud of myself, it taught me to believe that if I put my mind to it, it really could happen, and as cheesy as that is, it isn’t really true unless you’ve experienced it firsthand yourself. I gained self-confidence, knowing that my class trusts me with major responsibilities to make our senior year the best it could be. The confidence others had in me gave me such a huge boost to become who I am at this moment. I turned into an outgoing and non- insecure girl, I learned to manage my priorities and time better, and most importantly, I learned to love myself and gain the strength to pursue my life’s goals. I sound like I might just be a common girl that learned her lesson, but for me, this lesson was not something common, it changed my life completely. It changed my perspectives and it kept me from falling down low when I knew I had goals that were way up high.
Out of everything I learned, I realized I was a people-pleaser my whole life, which was my original mistake in the first place. When I held the position as a leader, I realized I could not please everyone. I learned that I had to trust myself to make the best choice and that is when I truly found happiness and I am proud to say I have never been happier with where I stand right now. J


16 comments:

  1. This was really inspiring! I can definitely relate to the insecure, not confident personality. I myself have struggled with that. Reading this though also reminded me of myself in the sense that I feel who I am inside is not who I always am on the outside. I enjoyed reading about your experience very much.
    - Hannah Mueller (12) per.5

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah, reading this made me filled with so many different emotions. I started out being so sad for you, but after reading the whole story... I can't help but feel so happy for you. I think I started out so sad because of the fact that I know who you are now. I never thought of you to be that girl back then, I always just suspected that you were the cute little girl that everyone adored! But I loved how you shared your story with the audience, one-on-one. It really allowed me to relate to you, in that it allowed me to get a glimpse of who you were back then. I think it's safe to say that my life is parallel to that of yours! I was exactly like that, and it also wasn't until high school that I discovered my "important identity".
    There were some awkward phrasing, here and there, especially the 2nd sentence of your story, but later at some point, I figured it might have just been some of your "thoughts" going on, i'm not exactly sure haha.
    But I loved your story all in all; so wonderful. I love you! :)))

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is a great example of growing up into your true self. I know I once felt like this and I'm sure many kids now can relate to it. Good job and I like that you're not afraid to be personal on a blog.

    -Sabrina Rondero per.5

    ReplyDelete
  4. I truly enjoyed that you shared this life changing experience. I can relate to you as I am shy myself and have slowly come out of my shell. I'm glad that you were able to have this transformation. Also you wrote this very well and I think this is a great piece.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It was very courageous of you to share with us a part of your life that you probably want to forget... As Valerie said, from your optimistic and fun demeanor now, I would not have guessed that you used to be shy! I could definitely connect with you in terms of how ASB has changed you for the better because I've experience the exact same feeling myself. You definitely bring up a good point about a position being so much more than just a title.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Alyssa, I rembere in Mr. Halls class last year, when we had toa write letters to all of the people in our group, your letter to me was just so uplifting and great that I thought it was so awesome to be thought of highly by someone as popular as you were. I have always seenyou surrounded by friends and in the public eye, so I think it's so strange to read your reflective piece. I am really glad you decided to share your thoughts about yourself with us.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Alyssa I loved this. it was great insight to who you really are. Knowing you for so long I know you can put up a front and protect yourself and reading this was so inspiring. When you put your mind to something the output is really amazing and your story is proof of that. Good Job Alyssa!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aw, Alyssa Che! I remember when we first met, you definitely made me laugh and it is probably the reason why we are friends, and I am so thankful to have met you :) sometimes I forget how shy you once were considering you are so outgoing now and everyone loves you! I understand what you mean by being insecure, I mean hello, I am larger then half the school, but I have grown to love myself! Nice job cheeky!

    Taylor Robles

    ReplyDelete
  9. Alyssa, this piece was beautiful, just like you. I would have never guessed that you struggled with insecurity. You have always come across as joyful, energetic, outgoing, and comfortable in your own skin. I am so glad that you have come to believe in yourself. Do not let the opinions of those around you ever hold you down. The fact is, all of us have struggled with insecurity at one time or another but we just have to remember that we are God's creation and as His daughters, He loves us unconditionally. His love overcomes all else.

    -Christina Tapia

    ReplyDelete
  10. What an amazing piece. I felt as if I could relate to you because everyone including me has gone through similar events. The beginning of your story was inspiring especially because of how you finished it. Great job

    Marcopolo Anzora

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow thank you for sharing your story! It was so inspirational and such a beautiful thing to read about your transformation into the outgoing and bubbly individual you are today. Your use of apostrophe throughout the piece really brought your piece to life and really reflected your new confident attitude. One of my favorite parts was how you talked about the title of "president" meaning not only a position, but a life changing moment in your eyes. Overall, great job!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This was good. It tells us all that we should be ourself no matter what.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Alyssa, remember when we would sit next to each other in Mrs. Auranzeb's second grade class, acting like we knew how to write cursive? And when you accidentally chipped off Danielle's tooth? I want you to know that I have never seen you any less admirable since the day I met you. You have such great qualities and I love that you expressed to your peers who you truly are. It takes a lot of courage to open yourself up to people, and I love that you were able to convey how you have developed as a person as a part of your growth and self realization. From being the silly girl that I knew in the second grade to the Senior Class President, you are great just the way you are. Thank you for contributing to our student body in every way possible!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is very inspiring Alyssa! And congrats on being the Senior Class President! I'm happy for you and I'm glad that you found happiness. This was a heart touching story. Thanks for sharing it with us!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This was really really great Alyssa! I can relate to how you've felt before, and I also know what it feels like to have something that makes you a brighter and better person. This entire piece just made me so happy my goodness. I love how you literally showed us your transformation as an individual in such a short frame as well. I enjoyed this a lot! Fantastic job!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Discovering yourself in life is an important step in becoming the person that you want to be and I'm glad you shared this part of your life with us. It's always important to have a great support team behind you, helping you along the way. I can see that you build that support team and you seem way more confident and generally happy. You came out of your cocoon a butterfly!

    ReplyDelete

Remember, make your comment positive, supportive, and specific to the piece you're commenting on. No anonymous comments! :)