Growing Up Research Paper

From the day an individual is born, they are constantly evolving, adapting, and growing from the situations, challenges, and hardships they undergo. On the other hand, as a person matures, they are compiled with more responsibilities and difficulties than when they were younger. In fact, these challenges, whether big or small, that a person faces day to day, changes, shapes, and molds that individual for better or worse into the person they are today. Taking that into consideration, out of the many demanding obstacles I have experienced growing up, the most difficult, yet also most rewarding and influential years of my life has been when I started attending school.
When I turned five, I unknowingly walked into a new bumpy path filled with

difficult hurdles, stress, crying, whiny fits, and countless chewed pencils and eraser dust known as school. From kindergarten to fourth grade at Richard H. Bryan Elementary School, I struggled immensely in all my subjects, earning grades from Cs to Fs. Every year, my parents were called into the parent-teacher conferences where teachers repeatedly confessed about my lack of academic improvement. In fact, in third grade my teacher asked my parents to hold me back a year longer since I was failing all my core subjects, my pronunciation of words was unacceptable, my handwriting was either too big, small, or sloppy, and that I was taking too much time to do simple assignments that other students completed in half the time. From that day on, after my parents immediately declined her suggestion, I attended more special classes, speech therapy, and tutoring while my parents and I worked nonstop every night improving my English, speaking, pronunciation, writing, reading, math, science, and even Spanish to the point where I would get so overwhelmed, frustrated, and just end up crying. In the end, however, I graduated 5th grade with straight B’s, two diplomas signed by Barack Obama, and a medal for the “excellent” personal narrative I wrote—which I read for everyone who was present at the 5th grade ceremony.
Besides elementary school, however, I struggled immensely during my sophomore year at Centennial High School with accepting myself. I developed anxiety and worried endlessly of what people would think of me. In fact, I would get anxious and nervous every time I had to go into the school’s cafeteria by myself, if my friends were not there or were already at a table across the room. Sometimes my anxiety would be so overwhelming that I would just skip lunch altogether and go to class early, instead of walking into the crowded busy lunchroom. Not to mention, I would dress in huge, baggy clothes, and constantly wear jackets and hoodies because they made me feel safe since I felt so insecure and did not want people to see or judge me.
Now two years later, at 17, I am a senior at the College of Southern Nevada High School West Charleston, a school that has helped me discover myself, lose my anxiety, and become more confident, sociable, and challenged in the long run.

For instance, I am now taking care of my skin, eating healthier, hydrating myself, and sleeping more. Besides that, I am now almost completely anxiety-free and am able do things on my own without needing someone beside me. I also can make friends way more effortlessly and communicate with people better. In fact, I even asked my guy friend out to prom even though he ignored me after saying yes, and I later complimented a guy at prom for looking nice. Besides all this, I ultimately have come to the realization that I do not need no one’s approval except my own. Nonetheless, I now only wear clothes that I like and truly expresses who I am. Additionally, I have also taken a lot of college and high school classes that has been very challenging and has shown me how much I truly am capable of if I try. In Communications 101, I allowed myself to be more comfortable speaking and presenting in front of a crowd, in Algebra II, College Prep, and Math 126 I improved and strengthened my math skills drastically, in English 101 and 102 I learned how to write strong, precise essays, and in English 12 Honors I learned about women’s rights and how to inspect

poetry.
In a couple of years, after I obtain my Associates of Business at the College of Southern Nevada, I will attend UNLV or the University of Nevada Las Vegas and obtain my Bachelors in Marketing.

After I graduate college, I hope to find a well-paying sports marketing job here in Las Vegas, promoting one of the sports teams we are home to, including the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team or the Las Vegas Lights Football Club. By that time, I hope to have my own house, be married, have a son, and live happily with my family and friends. Besides working though, as a hobby, I would like to become a professional photographer focused mainly in taking pictures of the entertainment that Las Vegas has to offer. In other words, I hope to be hired to take pictures of the musicians, athletes, magicians, and other celebrities that come to Vegas to entertain, and ultimately have those pictures in magazines everywhere for people to

view.
Then again, without the hurdles, I had to overcome throughout my school years, I would not be here today finishing up high school and simultaneously taking college classes at the tender age of seventeen. Taking that into account, each individual person has their own weaknesses and strengths, and has gone through experiences, that many do not know about, that has altered the way they think, speak, act, and approach daily life. These unavoidable setbacks either frighten or motivate us, but they are what makes us the person we are today. Perhaps in the future people would encourage challenges, so they can discover who they truly are and what they are capable of, as I did when I overcame the setbacks I went through during elementary and high school.