Bold Confidence Matters Scholarship

Confidence to me is turning your disabilities into abilities and challenging yourself by stepping out of your comfort zone and into uncomfortable positions. I have disabilities such as cerebral palsy, impaired muscle coordination, decreased functional abilities, delayed motor development and cognitive impairment, spasticity on the right-side leg, arm, hand, and asthma. Run, hop, skate, bicycle riding are as complicated as going to the moon. Like many people in a similar situation, I fell into depression, withdrew from society, became distant, and avoided socialization with others. During high school, I would often spectate track and field events. I would cheer for my classmates on the sidelines, wishing that I could participate. My father always says to my two brothers and me, “Life is about choices. The choices we make determine our fate.” I had to choose between withdrawing from society because of my disabilities or embracing them, bravely stepping into the community, and showing that my disabilities do not define me. I decided to join the track and field team in school. I did what I was afraid to do, knowing that I would often fall, be the center of attention in a storm of private discussions on my not-so-elegant gait, positioning of my arm and foot, and other criticism. This one choice built the foundation of confidence that I now have to face any obstacles that will come my way bravely. I found my voice, gained confidence, and learned to advocate for myself. I now see my disabilities as obstacles to overcome, which I must adapt to and fulfill my objectives. I will not win all the races and receive awards and accolades. Still, I will be an example of someone excelling in Life despite all negative influences.

To be confident is to live your life in a manner that makes you happy without regard to what others might think. In my life, I choose to live unapologetically, which requires bravery, thus helping me become confident in myself as I succeed more in helping both myself and others. To the surprise of no one who knows me, I am transgender and gay. Due to a large amount of homophobia at school, I know this is rather dangerous; however, I'm someone who knows who I am and is proud of my identity, so I'm strong enough to ignore any hate I receive. Other LGBTQ+ students on campus are not so confident or open, so, by putting myself out there, I make myself more of a target for bullying so that others who are still struggling to love themselves get left alone. This helps me become confident in myself as I realize I'm getting better at handling everything with time and still love myself. Additionally, I'm unapologetically myself. It can make me insecure at times, but overall I still choose to be openly "weird." Because of this, people try to dim my glow, occasionally resorting to violence in an effort to get me to "just be normal already." But what type of life is that? There will always be people who dislike me, so I'd rather be disliked for being myself than for a fake persona, which, ironically, helps me gain friends as other "weird" people find comfort with me. Doing this allows me to feel more confident because I realize that I'm perfect as-is. By being myself, I'm put into a place where I'm going to be judged, but as I overcome every negative comment, I realize that I still love myself, which helps me remain confident.