What is failure? A standard dictionary defines failure as the lack of success, the omission of a required action, and the state of not functioning. In our society, failure is often defined as a defeat, tempting us to pretend the mistakes we made never happened, but when we ask why they did, the potential for success is revealed.
For me, failure was my first two years of high school. It started with a common but powerful problem. I didn 't know it then, but like so many others my age, I suffered from clinical depression and anxiety: medical conditions in the same vein as pneumonia or a broken bone, that when left untreated can become disruptive to normal life, dangerous and even fatal. I have seen too many people around me end their lives in …show more content…
I began commuting two hours from Boston to Providence in order to attend this small, alternative high school. Here, I was seen for who I was, rather than mistakes I had made. It was an environment I could grow in. It allowed me to participate without intimidation and work with my teachers as an individual. They took a deep interest in my way of thinking and opinions, and I was able to find myself again, both academically and artistically. Instead of turning the standards I set for myself to self-sabotage, I utilized them to fuel my best effort. I found that passion for learning within myself once more and started to love going to …show more content…
I sought help and support from a therapist to end the civil war being fought within my head. It was like I had lost something and I didn 't know quite what until I realized it was myself.
Regaining the curiosity to learn inspired me to travel on my own and seek summer community service work in Ecuador and Dominica. Doing so widened my perception of what good I could do in the world. It put to good use my natural sense of empathy and interest in human experience, increased my desire that I had from personal experiences to study human behavior and the brain, and showed me how much I have yet to learn.
It was the positive effects of these changes that brought to light what type of environment is right for me-one that can foster my development both academically and personally, a place where learning is nurtured and life is
For me, failure was my first two years of high school. It started with a common but powerful problem. I didn 't know it then, but like so many others my age, I suffered from clinical depression and anxiety: medical conditions in the same vein as pneumonia or a broken bone, that when left untreated can become disruptive to normal life, dangerous and even fatal. I have seen too many people around me end their lives in …show more content…
I began commuting two hours from Boston to Providence in order to attend this small, alternative high school. Here, I was seen for who I was, rather than mistakes I had made. It was an environment I could grow in. It allowed me to participate without intimidation and work with my teachers as an individual. They took a deep interest in my way of thinking and opinions, and I was able to find myself again, both academically and artistically. Instead of turning the standards I set for myself to self-sabotage, I utilized them to fuel my best effort. I found that passion for learning within myself once more and started to love going to …show more content…
I sought help and support from a therapist to end the civil war being fought within my head. It was like I had lost something and I didn 't know quite what until I realized it was myself.
Regaining the curiosity to learn inspired me to travel on my own and seek summer community service work in Ecuador and Dominica. Doing so widened my perception of what good I could do in the world. It put to good use my natural sense of empathy and interest in human experience, increased my desire that I had from personal experiences to study human behavior and the brain, and showed me how much I have yet to learn.
It was the positive effects of these changes that brought to light what type of environment is right for me-one that can foster my development both academically and personally, a place where learning is nurtured and life is