Sabrina Carpenter is a talented young woman who has inspired me throughout my childhood. I grew up watching her on TV shows such as “Girl Meets World” and I have been growing up with her ever since. Her music is soul touching and is inspirational to myself and other young women around the world. Her music illustrates the daily struggles in womanhood and encourages girls to be strong and confident. Sabrina Carpenter has shown me that working hard can get you far in life and this dedicated young woman motivates girls all over to have a positive self image and believe in themselves. Her versatility exemplifies that it is possible to do anything. She is not only an actress that we grew up watching, she is a talented singer and songwriter who speaks and sings about her true self and shows young girls that it is a good thing to be your true self and not hide from anyone. Sabrina Carpenter has inspired me to work hard and not be afraid to achieve my goals. Overall, Sabrina Carpenter is a positive role model for all of her fans and is someone we should all look up to, whether you enjoy her music or not, she is an incredible, hard working individual.

Selective mutism can be defined as “an anxiety disorder in which a person who is otherwise capable of speech becomes unable to speak when exposed to specific situations”. To me, selective mutism is a little voice in my head that controls me. I have always been intelligent enough to understand the truth: I CAN talk and everything will be okay; however, that tiny voice in my head takes over, drowns the reality and turns it into a dark terrifying place. Imagine having arachnophobia (extreme irrational fear of spiders) and every single day you are forced to live in a world by which every crevice is covered in spiders with no place to escape. That is how talking felt to me. I was completely mute in the beginning of my life because I was terrified of speaking. The only people I felt comfortable talking to were my close family. Not even my grandparents, classmates, or my teachers. In kindergarten I fell and scraped my knee. I was bleeding everywhere, but I didn’t tell anyone. I could have broken my leg and I wouldn’t have told anyone. I was too scared. I can’t recall what made me so terrified of talking, but I can remember that little voice in my head telling me not to talk and controlling my every move. After about four years of being completely mute in school, my parents decided to move me schools. I started attending this new school and decided to be brave and push myself out of my comfort zone. I began talking to my teachers and peers! However, I never went out of my way to talk to people. My classmates often snarkily made comments about how much I talked. They would make jokes asking if I even knew how to talk or ask why I was so quiet. I never knew how to answer these comments, so I just gave a small laugh and felt insecure. Little did they know, this was the most I’ve ever talked at school in my entire life. I learned to block them out, but at the same time they pushed me to talk more, in fear of being ridiculed if I didn’t. I have since learned to push myself out of my comfort zone. I have learned how to coach myself through my anxiety all on my own. Inside my head I have taught myself to silence that little voice and think logically. The voice is and always will be there in my head, but at least I have learned to be brave enough to quiet it down. This is why pursuing a college degree is so important to me. I want to smother that little voice and show it that I can do anything. Continuing to push myself out of my comfort zone in order to help those in need is an important life goal of mine. I want to support my peers and show them that anything is possible as long as you work hard and try your best. I am able to acknowledge the anxiety and fear and let my body and brain feel those feelings while at the same time, thinking logically. I am able to think realistically while listening to the voice of anxiety and selective mutism in my head. This is what makes me a strong courageous person. I push through the hard treacherous moments in order to grow and overcome my fears. It’s not easy and I have worked immensely hard at becoming who I am today. I want to help others realize they are capable of overcoming anything.