Undergraduate / Conservative upbringing - TELL US ABOUT WHO YOU ARE [2]

TELL US ABOUT WHO YOU ARE.

HOW WOULD YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND/OR MEMBERS OF YOUR COMMUNITY DESCRIBE YOU? IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE INCLUDE SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF AND WHY?

Greetings from New Delhi, India!!
I am Aarav Chopra. I am the only child of my parents. My upbringing has been in a conservative, protected and yet modern atmosphere. This has helped me to develop a very balanced, grounded and affable personality. I am an eager learner and always strive to achieve what I desire. I have a great calibre for sports especially cricket and basketball, I am a cinephile and a glutton for food. I am an introvert but with a bundle of energy and pronounced interpersonal skills. My keen interest in Greek, Nordic, Egyptian and Hindu mythologies has helped me to gain knowledge on the genesis of the world and life. I hope to join the world of cinema in the future. Being a big Marvel and DC fan, it is my dream to work with production houses like the Walt Disney Company, Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox.

In my early teens, I did not take life seriously and was frivolous in my actions. I lacked in discipline, seriousness and balance in life. This had its repercussions but taught me a lesson too. I was an avid cricket player and wanted to carve a career path for myself. My hard work was paying off as I was playing for my school senior team despite being a junior. Unfortunately, despite all my dedication and hard work, I could not balance my game and education. Each year I graduated the pressure and workload increased. This imbalance forced me to choose education over cricket and hold a pause on my dream. A decision that made my parents and friends extremely worried and anxious as I was always known as an enthusiastic sportsperson. Such experiences in the early phase of my teen years was a difficult but necessary chapter in my life as it was a stepping stone towards improvement. I took the mistakes of the past year as questions and explored their answers in life. Under the guidance of my parents, I became more focused, dedicated and learned to strive for a balance between education, curricular and extra-curricular activities. My parents always took pride in me because I was loved and respected in my class by my teachers and peers, despite not being a topper. My teachers respected me for my enthusiasm, optimism and amicable nature. They always trusted and saw potential in me to perform like a star. In my early growing years, I was conferred with many accolades and titles such as the "Super Citizen" of the Year award. These accolades only encouraged me to become a better person every day.

I am told that I have a very sensitive heart. From a young age, I had the privilege to be associated with a local civil society organization, where we took up a cause to teach the English language to underprivileged children. This experience was truly gratifying. I have a soft spot for animals and that softness helped me save the life of a pup who was run over by a car. This happened when I was just 13 years old. Since then, I desired to build awareness on animal safety and protection through digital campaigns.

I care more about the effort and hard work I put into a task rather than paying heed to the result. I have faced rejections in life from a young age and rather than dwelling negatively on it, I analyzed and identified my shortcomings to make amends. During my district (county) cricket trials, I was rejected despite being a star performer in school and the academy. I did not take the rejection to heart and decided to work upon my cricketing skills. Even though I could not get selected later, I was happy that I lived those days playing cricket something I love. In my early high school days, I was more worried about the consequences both positive and negative more than I was worried about the effort I had put in. I failed to get the desired grades every semester and giving up was not an option for me. The following year, I had a mental revolution where I was more focused on the hard work than the consequences. This helped me to improve my grades and put a smile on my parents' faces. During these days I learned that a person's results do not shape their personality, but hard work does. I am proud of the wise decisions I have made, for the honest friendship that I have with my childhood friends and unconditional love from and for my parents.

Undergraduate / Self respect and life lesson - WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU? [2]

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU? WHY?

It took me a while to think about this 'prompt' as I have always given importance to aspects of my life like family, friends and sports. But I have always felt that self-respect' is what is important to me. It gives me that feeling of confidence and pride that helps me to set firm boundaries for myself and meet my own expectations. This helps me to confront and overcome all difficulties and challenges. It brings out the happiness that I look outside.

I started giving importance to self-respect only when I learned hard lessons of my life when I was frivolous and carefree. My grades started falling in my early high school days. This was a big blow to my own self-confidence and expectations. this was the time for self-introspection to find the purpose of my life. Instead of being despondent this time, I realized that every time I made a mistake, I would lose my confidence. This realization helped me to identify my mistakes and rectify them. My teachers and parents continued to have that confidence in me that I had lost. Their trust helped me to regain my lost confidence and pride. I decided to set goals and benchmarks for myself every day and aimed to achieve them. Slowly and gradually, I started showing improvement in my grades and continued to follow my passion for sports. The hard work, effort and dedication I put in during those days still make me, my family and friends proud of myself. This has helped me to repurpose my life goals in every aspect. I realized I need to value my own worth to show it to others. But at the same time, I would not let my self-respect turn into an ego as I endeavour to improve my whole being.

Why is self-respect important to me, it is because it helps me to know the values instilled in me and live by them. I know my peers treat me with dignity and worth because of the confidence and pride that I have for myself.