What's Up With Water Program Analysis

When I was in third grade, I was accepted into the Gifted And Talented Education program, otherwise known as GATE. My parents and I were ecstatic for such a wonderful opportunity, but little did I know, their expectations of me grew. Subsequently, I increasingly became afraid of failure and disappointment from those around me. Despite being a rather playful and active child, I was very quiet and introverted in class, terrified of being ousted as rowdy by the teacher. It wasn’t until middle school that I finally broke out of my bubble and became who I am today. When I entered junior high, I took five honor courses to challenge myself without fully realizing how stressful the workload was. Nonetheless, I was able to overcome any obstacle that …show more content…
I worked in a group with one of my close friends to investigate the water quality of our school, Ball Jr. High. The name of our project was “What’s Up With Water?” and we were selected as one of the few grant recipients. We used the funds to purchase water pH testers and travel to three different water treatment plants--Lenain, Anaheim City Water Sustainability, and Fountain Valley’s OCWD--to learn about the water filtration process. In addition to applying for the grant, our teacher also offered us an opportunity to present our findings at the first annual Sustainability Showcase. I remember feeling excited yet anxious and scared about this chance because we had to present in front of a crowd. Like many people, I had stage fright. In addition to being scared of getting in front of people, I was extremely terrified of failing. The thoughts of messing up in front of everyone plagued my mind and made it difficult for me to focus in class. After completing the speech and powerpoint, we practiced our presentation several times in classrooms and even at …show more content…
The previously burdensome expectations that my parents had pushed onto me was no longer as heavy. Over time, I became more skilled at controlling and projecting my voice and expressing my ideas in words. Needless to say, the experience was a turning point in my life. Determined to continue developing my character, I joined community service clubs, such as Key Club, and participated in various extracurricular activities, such as badminton and the newspaper, in high school. Comfortable with stepping beyond my boundaries, I even ran for a board position (bulletin editor) in Key Club despite my fear of failure. Thankfully, I was able to land the position. But none of this would have occurred had I not participated in the student grant or sustainability showcase in middle school; I would have continued to remain in my bubble, weary of failure. It was because I pushed myself for the first time that I was able to continue pushing myself beyond my boundaries and realize that success and failure walk hand-in-hand. This newfound belief also changed my future