Sometimes how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you are the same. This was the case for me throughout high school as I struggled with the lack of self-confidence, self-appreciation, and authenticity. I was hindered from expressing what I thought and how I felt because I could not see my self-worth and what I had to offer everyone. This intangible battle with my insecurities affected my relationship with my family and friends, and above all, affected how I viewed myself. I was anxious to be judged, ridiculed, and hated by others. Feeling like I was trapped inside a box and isolated from the world, I began to look to my passions to escape. Transitioning into my final year of high school played a major role in helping me build my self-confidence and self-appreciation. As a senior, I felt the calling to rise above how others identified me and focused on the things that I knew mattered most to me: my family, my orchestra, and my impending college career to becoming a nurse. As the oldest sibling in my family, I knew that I had to be brave to be a good example to my younger sister - someone that she can look to as a role model. As the viola section leader in my orchestra, I knew that I had to demonstrate initiative in order to guide my fellow players. As someone about to enter college, I knew I had to look to strong mentors, so I reached out to my older cousins, who are Terry Foundation alumnae, for the diligence and work ethic to pursue my aspiration of nursing. As I calibrated my priorities, I found the courage and self-love that I had been searching for. With the future just around the corner, I am still striving to become a better person every day. The key to unlocking the box that I was trapped inside turned out to be constantly and consistently thinking about and working towards achieving my goals. It is hard to diagnose a problem that is abstract, such as self-confidence. However, with much reflection, I learned that although it is difficult to exemplify self-confidence and self-appreciation, it is not impossible. Whenever I find myself going backward, I talk it out with my family, friends, and mentors to help me get back on track. I cannot say that I will never doubt myself again, but with the support of the people closest to me, I am feeling genuinely myself, more and more each day.

As an introverted person, going out to the gym to workout has been a struggle for me. Interacting with people and the fear of being watched was something I did not enjoy experiencing. This is when I decided to work out in the comfort of my room. Of course, there are some cons to this including small workout space and limited equipment. However, it is enough for me to do what I need to do to stay fit. I just put on a video or two of a Blogilates workout and work out without being afraid of being judged by those around me. Many people have their preferences on YouTubers, but I personally enjoy Blogilates because she radiates positive energy and is very encouraging which makes me feel better about myself. Besides working out, I also try my best to maintain a healthy diet. This was very difficult for me because I was known as the girl who can survive off of ramen. After understanding how eating ramen is doing no benefit to my body, I had to change my choices to live a longer and healthier life. I am also in a nutrition class, so it helps me understand what I should eat and what I should avoid. I have started incorporating more vegetables and fruits into my diet as well as trying out being a pescatarian. I am currently enjoying not eating certain meats, and if being a pescatarian goes well, I may even go to being vegetarian and maybe vegan. Staying fit was definitely not my number one priority in life, but it has become an important one now. When I am eating well and working out, my body feels more happy and healthy which can be seen through my academics.

As a person who is a major introvert, it is difficult and almost impossible to get the proper words and thoughts out of my head and into the world. Even with days and weeks of preparation for a small dinner with a group of people, I still struggle to interact with people in a way that is considered "normal". Many people have told me to put myself in more social settings as a way to get used to the atmosphere, but I still am very uncomfortable with that idea. The idea of socializing in a group of unfamiliar faces was traumatizing until I met my VSA (Vietnamese Student Association) family. Going into college in the midst of a pandemic, I knew it was going to be hard to be a part of organizations, but I wanted to join some to get out of my comfort zone. Luckily, the UNT VSA organization reached out to me and told me that I am welcomed any time. As a first-generation college student, I was a bit reluctant in joining this organization because I had no clue of what to expect. Usually, with events and organizations, I tend to plan them in advance so that I do not experience any sudden surprises. Joining this organization later became a surprise that I was thankful to have. After joining the organization, I was put into a group chat where I could not recognize a single name or face. Of course, the little voice inside of me kept telling me this was a terrible idea, but I decided to stay and continue my journey with VSA. As the year goes by, it was the time to be put into families where there are leaders who take members under their wing. I wanted to be put into a family so that I can potentially meet great people and become good friends with them. After the process of organizing the families was finished, I was put into the "Water Fam", where I met people who made me feel safe about my surroundings. The nicest thing that they have done to me is simply being there for me and supporting me. Before joining VSA, I was walking around campus confused about who I am and what I was going to be. As someone who struggled with socializing, the nicest thing anyone could possibly do to me is welcome me with open arms and that is exactly what my VSA family did to me. They took me in and treated me as their own and made me into the more confident and happy person that I am today.

After climbing up and down the stairs of my four-story school, in search of my aspirations through the variety of advanced classes that were provided to me, I believe that my purpose is to become someone who will be able to assist those around me. By understanding the values that were engrained in my head - integrity, empathy, perseverance, service, and gratitude, I plan to implement them into my life to achieve my purpose. With this in mind, I have chosen nursing as my academic major, and my greatest ambition is to eventually obtain my master's degree to become a nurse practitioner. A nurse's role is special to me because they interact more closely with patients in the most humble and selfless way. Throughout my life, I have witnessed my parents take care of my grandma in this way, and I feel called to exemplify this same compassion to others through my career and life. I hope that by doing so, I can make a positive impact on others' lives and be an example of the unequivocal empathy that my parents have taught me. My family has always been my biggest support and encouragement, so my life goal is to be able to give back to my parents for all that they have sacrificed for me and my sister.

Ever since I was young, I felt very much alone with not much support around me. Even though I was going to Church School every weekend, I felt no connection with God like how others were until I met a certain teacher. He helped me understand who God is and how he will always be there for me. Since then, whenever I am having a difficult time in life where I feel like there is nothing left around me, I always remember that there is at least God by my side. Knowing that I at least have someone by my side has kept me going towards my dream of becoming a better person in our community.

The great outdoors may seem very dangerous and dirty, however, it can be a place of bonding, memories, and relaxation. I got to experience all five with my dad whenever we would go fishing. For the longest time I have known him, my dad has a strong passion in fishing whether it is fishing season or not. At a young age, I never understood why he loved it so much. Fishing is such a tiring, filthy, and handsy outdoor event. Whenever we would get to our location after an hour drive, we would stand on slippery rocks and be there for hours waiting for our bait to catch a fish. The amount of patience that was present in my dad made me wonder how was this even enjoyable. As I grew older, I understood the meaning of fishing from my dad’s perspective. My dad did warn me a couple of times that fishing is not an elegant event. He did warn me about the smell of fish that will be stuck on our clothes for days. He did warn me about the nonexistent or hidden restrooms. But what he did not tell me was how fishing was his way to bond with me. When I was younger, I would only say yes to his fishing requests because I did not want to hurt his feelings and would often complain about the stench of fish and the lack of proper restrooms. Every time I said yes, I did not notice the excitement and joy that my dad felt. My dad works six days out of seven, and if he was unlucky, seven days out of seven. Most of those days did not even happen in our home state. It happened offshore, in the gulf, or even on the other side of the world. When he gets the chance to spend time with his children, he tries to take every possible chance, and that is why my dad enjoys fishing so much. It is because of the bonding he had missed when he was in Africa, because of the memories he wanted to make up when he was away, and because of the relaxation he gets after days of constant work. Because I have accepted my dad’s perspective on fishing, it has become one of my favorite outdoor events. Most people would connect with others through social media, but I got to connect with my dad through fishing. All we had was the rocks beneath our feet, the ocean in front of our eyes, and our presence right next to each other. The lack of technology was surprisingly relaxing because we got to comfortably talk to each other about anything that was in our minds. The great outdoors has allowed us to become closer and be thankful to what nature has provided for us. Whether it is fishing or not, being outdoors has taught me to be appreciative of what I already have and understanding different perspectives. Using these lessons that I have learned with my dad will allow me to become someone who will be able to help those in need.

Sometimes how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you are the same. This was the case for me throughout high school as I struggled with the lack of self-confidence, self-appreciation, and authenticity. I was hindered from expressing what I thought and how I felt because I could not recognize my self-worth and what I had to offer to those around me. This intangible battle with my insecurities negatively affected my relationships with my family and my friends, and above all, affected how I viewed myself. I was anxious to be judged, ridiculed, and hated by others. Before I knew it, I had trapped myself inside a box, isolating myself from the rest of the world. As time passed by, I had the urge to escape from that box, wanting to finally voice my opinions with no fear. This is when I began to look at my passions in order to break free. The transition into my final year of high school played a major role in helping me build my self-confidence and self-appreciation. As a senior, I felt the calling to rise above how others identified me and focused on the factors that I knew mattered to me the most which included my family, my orchestra, and my impending college career to becoming a nurse practitioner. As the oldest sibling in my family, I knew that I had to be confident in order to be a good example to my younger sister - someone that she can look up to as a role model. As the viola section leader in my orchestra, I knew that I had to demonstrate initiative in order to guide my fellow players towards success. As someone about to enter college, I knew I had to look to strong mentors, so I reached out to my older peers and family members for the diligence and work ethic to pursue my aspiration of nursing. I was able to understand how my passions were able to help me finally be free. As I calibrated my priorities, I found the courage and self-love that I had been searching for. With the future just around the corner, I am still striving to become a better person every single day. The key to unlocking the box that I was once trapped inside turned out to be constantly and consistently reflecting on and working towards achieving my goals in my future career and life. It is hard to diagnose a problem that is so abstract, such as self-confidence. However, with much reflection, I learned that, although it is difficult to exemplify self-confidence and self-appreciation, it is not impossible. Whenever I find myself going backwards and going towards the box, I talk it out with my family, my friends, and my mentors to help me get back on the right track. I cannot say that I will never doubt myself again, but with the support of the people who care about me, I am feeling genuinely myself, more and more each day.