One way I challenged myself academically is when I took AP Language and Composition. Beginning my junior year, this class was something I feared. I knew AP Lang held a reputation for difficulty, which impaired my faith for the subject I love. Walking through the door on the first day, anxiety consuming my body, I knew that reputation was true. In English, writing creative, argumentative, and narration pieces has always been something I could produce thoroughly. However, I realized I never appreciated, or knew how to articulate my words using the rhetoric, strategy, and artistry writing requires. This was the class that taught me the value of writing--and formed my love for it. The challenge of mastering intellectual and meaningful pieces under pressure was something that instantly piqued my interest and motivation to persevere through the intensive workload. Everyday, I learned new ways to diversify my writing style, fusing nuanced ideologies I learned to devise quickly, while strongly asserting myself. Writing became a game I played in my mind as I strived to incorporate anything to earn the coveted “sophistication point” in class. Whether it be aspects of my favorite authors’ writing styles, or tips my teacher would suggest, I never expected to learn so much; truly this started as just a mental challenge--but unexpectedly, I found a deep love for writing. Academically, I have never pushed myself harder than in this class--and because of it, I’ve never learned more, or been more appreciative, hopeful, and excited for my future.