Undergraduate /
Major in unafraid- Barnard supplemental essay [3]
My essay right here... Not a native speaker so please do point out any mistakes. It's pretty long so thanks in advance for bearing it with me through the whole passage. Im still working on it though. Thank you sooooo much!
Although not a shy person, I am certainly not the kind that craves the center-of-the-spotlight either. Even at my own school, I am pretty lay back on stage performances. I used to think maybe I was born with fear toward solo activities like modeling, singing or dancing. But a summer TA job at a summer camp really changed everything. I overcame my fear and concerns, took one step out of my comfort zone and since that day forward, I'm a firm believer that I can be whoever I want to be. Here's how the magic happened.
The camp fashion show required each class to use 2 student models wearing paper clothes designed and tailored by the class. Since the students had never seen a fashion show and were confused, one of the teachers asked me, out of nowhere, to walk the catwalk for the class. Never had done anything like that before, I was terrified I would embarrass myself and instinctively said no. But the teacher insisted "You are my assistant. I need help here!" Watching my students clapping and looking expectantly at me, I decided to give it a try. "Even if I totally screw it up, my audience will not be judging. They are just 13-year-old kids. They will just have a good laugh and be done with it." I thought to myself. Though not at all confident, I finished the walk. While I was so relieved, I saw the disappointment on my students' faces, and I knew I blew it. Then I heard the encouraging words from my teacher, "It was good, but, you can be more than that." He showed us the walk himself and said "Can you do that again?" Instantly, I felt the responsibility to follow through. With butterflies in my stomach, the last thing I wanted was to disappoint my students or my teacher. I've done it once, why not do it better? There's nothing to lose anyway. Therefore, I did it, again, thinking this would be the most embarrassing moment in my life. Surprisingly, it got better. With fear slowly going away, I walked wholeheartedly, not wanting to let down of my audience. To me, walking down the 20-meter "runway" was not just following a straight line on the ground, but pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Every step I took, I gained more confidence that kept me going. As I went back, listening to my students and teacher cheering, I knew I nailed it this time. At that very moment, I felt top of the world.
Till this day, that special walk has still been cherished as a precious experience of me being unafraid. I now know how gratifying it is and I will never let fear take the better of me.
