A Highlight of Me

When I was a kid, I envied those active and outgoing people because I was shy. But I gradually learned from them. Now, I’m here to share my high school life in the United States, thousands of miles away from my home in China. It’s a challenge for me to study and to live abroad as a teenager. The courage of challenging myself on different activities has been one of my favorite traits, one of my own personal highlights.

This is my first year at Webb. I have pushed myself to try different enrichment activities since I believe that trying new things can develop my potential and improve my skills. Last fall, I joined the school cross-country team. It took a lot of effort to train for the three-mile runs every day. Running made me sweat; it made me exhausted; it made me happy. When I won a medal as the 17th place in one race, I realized that trying really can bring me accomplishments and surprise. Recently, I went to audition for the upcoming spring play. I had never acted on stage before, but I knew what a fantastic experience it would be if I could participate in such an advanced show. Even though I was not skilled at script reading and dealing with emotion, I still tried it. With the enjoyment of doing all different kinds of things, I am glad that I have the courage to keep challenging myself.

By self-challenges, not only did I improve my abilities, but I built great relationships with people. During wintertime, I signed up for the basketball team which no other international students joined. Communication and basketball skills were my obvious shortages. However, I tried my best to work hard at every practice, to talk with team members and the coach, and to learn from others’ movements. I made friends with freshmen and seniors in this team. Even though my performance is not excellent, I am proud of myself to be brave enough to try it.

I keep telling myself:

I haven’t learned enough from challenging yet.

I still can have more courage.

Just give it a shot.

Just try it.