This past year, I have grown, swayed, bent, and came out the other side transformed. All of this has mostly to do with friends. For a long time, I understood two things: how I was, and how everyone should have the opportunity to be respected. I fought for others that were misunderstood when it is so easy to hold them at a lower level than yourself. Almost everyone I had met, changed that selflessness into a disease. It was a social rule, that almost never got broken, for the right thing was always shoved under the rug of gossip. After a year of being pushed down over and over again, I soon just stopped expressing my opinions. I was as silent as a rock because I was afraid of being looked at differently. Because it is true, sometimes the right thing comes at a price, and why go through all that work just to be pushed back into your place? Before the summer, I thought that that was just the way of life. Someone would set off a debate, another would spread the information like politics. It became an unnerving cycle that only caused grief and the loss of trust. Over the summer, I went to a week-long camp. Though I was scared to do it, I pushed through the anxieties I had concerning it. I knew that my initial fear would be the greatest obstacle in my path. Once there, I found some confidence in myself. I could say what was on my mind without overthinking it all. I found out that I can be someone that thinks outside of the box, while not being afraid of all my flaws. At the end of it all, I learned that instead of fighting yourself or letting others' opinions become your own, you should stay true to your convictions. Like many, I now understand that this is hard to do. It's easy to get wrapped up in the latest news and later be flushed out with guilt. As long as you try, it is okay to make mistakes or let a rude whisper out. As easy as it is to make a molehill into a mountain, it is also as easily possible to live life as grand as you want to. As long as you keep growing and surviving, there is a light at the end of every tunnel, no matter how dark it may seem. You just have to travel in the right direction to get there. After this experience, I found confidence in myself and discovered my aspiring passion for business management. This prompted me to lead others through the knowledge and trials I have gone through and will still come out of. I would like to create a right and just environment where others can work freely and equally regardless of their opinions and past paths. Seeing change in others' powerless circumstances is what I want. I want to help those who wander in fear that they are not good enough; because I believe they are, whether they see it yet or not.