Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you. (500 word limit)
It is often considered superficial to be inhibited by one's features. However, I was born with a trait that did more than hurt my self-esteem. It killed my ability to do what I loved: to speak. My jaw was misshaped, which resulted in a ten millimeter overbite. That single number, ten, prevented me from being who I wanted to be, and now that I have overcome it, has made me promise to never let something stop me again.
Because I could not fully close my lips, I breathed constantly out of my mouth. I chewed with my food plainly visible and spoke with a lisp. Even as I expressed my troubles, they attacked my ears. So, I defaulted to braces: the headgear, the ripped gums, everything, but to no avail. My parents attempted to "fix" my speech with their version of therapy: I would spend thirty minutes repeating "suffering succotash," as clearly as possible. I, Sylvester, made my family laugh, but it only made me increasingly depressed. Nothing was working.
Even in elementary school, I was gifted with speaking skills. Yet, I hid them. I was constantly self-conscious of how I looked and sounded. It made me afraid to speak. I was unable to be who I wanted, and I hated myself for it. This continued through freshman year, where I was determined to join the debate team. I had awaited that day, but I found myself skipping meetings, debating myself instead of an opponent.
After a while, I was tired of skipping out on half of my life. I forced myself to overcome psychologically. I gave up conforming to society's expectations. I suddenly could speak to my fullest, and was highly successful. I won my first tournament, and competed on varsity during freshman year.
I love debate. I had before, but now that I allowed myself to participate, I was unstoppable. Once I let go of my terror, I became the outgoing person that I had always wanted to be, and this in turn made me succeed even more. However, I spoke noticeably slower and less clearly than opponents, and I soon hit a wall.
It was heartbreaking, being close to getting over my jaw, then having life stolen from me. I was ten millimeters shy of debating, and I nearly quit. Around October, I was given hope in the form of a scalpel. Jaw surgery. I took the chance despite misgivings. Recovery was the absolute most painful thing I have ever gone through. But I survived. Although I still have to get used to the new shape of my face, I look completely different, speak without the dreadful lisp, and truly excel in debate. I competed at State, and this year I am Captain.
The scars from my surgery do still remain. I remember hiding, suffering, because I was not strong enough to overcome. Now, I am determined to never let anything stop me again. I was victorious against myself; nothing in the world can hold me down.
