It was 2017. Despite leaving a familiar place, Ghana, I was eager. To acquire new experiences, eager to meet family whom I had only known through a phone screen 7,356 miles away. As much as I was eager, I was just as grateful that we were all embarking on this journey together. My mother, younger sister, and me. Everything differed from what I had anticipated; i.e. middle school. I was used to primary school and having one assigned class where each teacher walked into the classroom to fulfill their purpose when the bell rang. I was not used to the endless stacks of teal lockers, constricted one-way hallways, and rushing to class during the brief passing period. Just as quickly as I was taken aback by the differences, I was just as quick to adjust. Now when the bell periodically rang, I walked briskly among the hustling crowds to my next class. During that class period, I was filled with expectancy to receive my graded essays. When I received my paper, my readiness immediately shifted. I had put in the work, but my grade did not accurately represent that. As I reviewed my essay, I cowered at the thought of each simple spelling mistake I had made. To counter my disbelief, the solid evidence in paper form was positioned right in front of me. Each flamed red mark was a point deduction and a constant reminder of my failure. My mind remained fixated on my recent failure. I truly believed I had spelled the words correctly. It seemed as though this new education system was set against both me and my success. At home, I rummaged through my belongings in search of some printed paper, a resource I had recently received. Holding the papers in my hand, feelings of regret clouded my mindset because the title read: “Translation of Oxford English Words to American English”. I wanted to apologise. No, apologize. These sheets of paper served as a direct guide I had received from my mom to aid me throughout this transition. It was a resource and I had just skimmed over it, thinking they were simple words I already knew. I had missed one opportunity to utilize a resource, and I was certain I would not let another pass me by. I dedicated my time to studying the spelling differences between two or more words. I discovered patterns, replacing most words I would spell with an “s” with a “z” instead. Words like colour were actually spelled as color, so I just had to erase the “u” to spell similar words with ease. I strengthened my knowledge by sharing my recent word discoveries with both my mom and younger sister. Constantly practicing, I carried these sheets of paper with me daily because it was my personal companion guiding me on my quest to success. Through this experience, I displayed my resilience and strengthened my ability to discern and fully utilize a resource. I transitioned from the days I would refrain from speaking, plagued by the fear of mispronouncing a word differently, not wrongly as I was led to believe. Gradually, more and more resources were being directed onto my path. I came to acknowledge that the education system had not encountered as much evolution as I had within myself. My ability to initiate change was a resource, and so were my abilities to reflect and listen. And to this day, the hidden value I discovered behind a single resource still astounds and inspires me to excel in everything I do.