Being labeled as the "quiet kid" since pre-school has always been worrisome. At three years old, I was diagnosed with selective mutism, the inability to verbally communicate in social settings. All my years of pre-school, elementary, middle, and high school I was unable to speak with those unfamiliar to me. In pre-school, I would grow nauseous at the thought that I was away from my family. In 5th grade, I was denied my annual hearing test because the sole individual in charge said I refused to tell her my name. In middle and high school, I would focus academics to ignore and distract myself from the lack of social socials I very much lacked. Teachers often would not understand what selective mutism was and had tried to force a word or two out of me during group assignments. Acting as if there was a bright spotlight on me, I would freeze up until the teacher gave up and waived my assignment. This was the most prominent event I had reoccur each school I attended. Then insecurities popped up when extracurriculars came about. I even had to turn down opportunities when I was ecstatic to join them. Would new faces understand and accept my invisible disability? I would have to ask this to myself when I would accept peers as my friends, in hopes that they would accept me for me. To say anxiety has a stronghold on my life is an understatement. The movie "Inside Out 2" depicts my experiences with a character named "Anxiety". Throughout the movie she pushes every emotion from the center console, giving the main character, Riley, no opportunities of feeling any emotions other than anxiety. For Riley, anxiety was a new forming and unfamiliar emotion, but in different of Riley, anxiety has always lived with me, constantly controlling my center console. Leading me to learning how to suppress anxiety attacks with years of experience. I was always worried that I could not achieve great things such as earning a college degree like how I was worried in middle school that I would not earn my high school diploma. Although, I did it even when I was contemplating on walking the stage to claim my diploma through the entirety of my senior year. My anxiety filled experiences are the core reasons why pursuing a college degree is important to me. Disproving that you can be silent and succeed.