Popular media is filled with archetypes assigned to teenagers upon entering high school, stripping them of their layers, their dimensions, and their individuality. I am Rebecca Bartlett - I am unique, and I am so much more than my labels.
Walking into school on the first day of freshman year, I could sense from the students around me that I already had a label: the new girl. Who was I? Where was I from? Coming from a small Catholic grammar school into a public school of over 700 students, I panicked and shied away from any questions. Since I made no effort to reach out to them, they made no effort to reach out to me. Why should they? They had their friends and they knew where they fit. Eventually I was assigned a new label: the outsider. I kept a low profile because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. Meanwhile, all these possible friends stood only steps away, making countless memories of their own, and all I could bring myself to do was watch. I wanted to go out and make memories of my own, but I was labeled, and I didn’t think I could break free from what people assumed I was. …show more content…
I tried out for the after-school performing groups, and I made it in. All those years of singing in the shower finally paid off, and I discovered I sounded just as good on stage. As I looked for more opportunities to get out and sing, my choral director suggested I audition for the New Jersey Region I Chorus. I tried out, and to my surprise, I got in! This got me hooked and in my junior year I auditioned for the New Jersey All-State Chorus. My heart leapt with joy when I was picked! I was now something more than “that shy girl” - I had a new label: the musician. My low profile vanished. I stopped being painfully shy and I gained more confidence than I ever thought I could. Now several months into my senior year, I am long past being that wallflower who could barely speak when the teachers took
Walking into school on the first day of freshman year, I could sense from the students around me that I already had a label: the new girl. Who was I? Where was I from? Coming from a small Catholic grammar school into a public school of over 700 students, I panicked and shied away from any questions. Since I made no effort to reach out to them, they made no effort to reach out to me. Why should they? They had their friends and they knew where they fit. Eventually I was assigned a new label: the outsider. I kept a low profile because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. Meanwhile, all these possible friends stood only steps away, making countless memories of their own, and all I could bring myself to do was watch. I wanted to go out and make memories of my own, but I was labeled, and I didn’t think I could break free from what people assumed I was. …show more content…
I tried out for the after-school performing groups, and I made it in. All those years of singing in the shower finally paid off, and I discovered I sounded just as good on stage. As I looked for more opportunities to get out and sing, my choral director suggested I audition for the New Jersey Region I Chorus. I tried out, and to my surprise, I got in! This got me hooked and in my junior year I auditioned for the New Jersey All-State Chorus. My heart leapt with joy when I was picked! I was now something more than “that shy girl” - I had a new label: the musician. My low profile vanished. I stopped being painfully shy and I gained more confidence than I ever thought I could. Now several months into my senior year, I am long past being that wallflower who could barely speak when the teachers took