In middle school, My peers called me “Black Nerd” and “Sci-fi Loser” because of my fascination with technology and sci-fi. On a daily basis, classmates would laugh like wild hyenas at my interests. Sometimes I would recite my favorite lines from the TV series Battlestar Galactica and would hear “You actually like that! God, you’re a loser.” This was a frequent reaction I got for all of my interests too. During lunch periods, my table seemed like it had a reverse tractor beam that pushed people away.
To deal with my stress from school, I read. My books ranged from Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles to a nearly 400-page encyclopedia of 20th-century inventions. I have always been blown away with advances in technology and the infinite possibilities of sci-fi. My interests distracted me from the hyenas for a while. However, when my school life got harder to cope with, I needed a distraction stronger than a book. I pleaded with my mom to let me attend an electrical engineering camp where a few of my elementary school friends were going. My mom is one of the most frugal people I know, so I was surprised when she said yes! …show more content…
It was a technological haven where none of the hyenas existed. The first project we did was to connect a light bulb to a battery. When I wired my circuit board and switched on the light, I felt a wave of warmth and confidence. I put my fist in the air and shouted, “I did it. I made this!”From a couple of parts and a battery, I created a light that shined so bright that my worries and insecurities that existed before seemed trivial. It was like a beacon signaling me that I was on the right path. The batteries died quickly and the light bulb faded but had I already received the signal. I thought, “This is my calling, make amazing things out of what seems like nothing.” How could I feel embarrassed by that? What people thought about me didn't matter anymore. I had the light! A light that burned away self-doubt like a torch to a
To deal with my stress from school, I read. My books ranged from Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles to a nearly 400-page encyclopedia of 20th-century inventions. I have always been blown away with advances in technology and the infinite possibilities of sci-fi. My interests distracted me from the hyenas for a while. However, when my school life got harder to cope with, I needed a distraction stronger than a book. I pleaded with my mom to let me attend an electrical engineering camp where a few of my elementary school friends were going. My mom is one of the most frugal people I know, so I was surprised when she said yes! …show more content…
It was a technological haven where none of the hyenas existed. The first project we did was to connect a light bulb to a battery. When I wired my circuit board and switched on the light, I felt a wave of warmth and confidence. I put my fist in the air and shouted, “I did it. I made this!”From a couple of parts and a battery, I created a light that shined so bright that my worries and insecurities that existed before seemed trivial. It was like a beacon signaling me that I was on the right path. The batteries died quickly and the light bulb faded but had I already received the signal. I thought, “This is my calling, make amazing things out of what seems like nothing.” How could I feel embarrassed by that? What people thought about me didn't matter anymore. I had the light! A light that burned away self-doubt like a torch to a