“I Am” Essay
I am different. Different because of who I am. Different
because of who I choose to be, and different because of where I come from. I am
someone who has gone through many struggles. I am someone who chose to live life with no regrets
and to follow my parents’ guidance. I am someone who comes from a place that
not many people have heard of. This is why I am different.
Growing
up, I was always pushed into becoming greater than my people before me. I was
pushed into my studies and education. At first I hated it, but now that I have
grown into my studies I have learned that education is what I need. I am
dedicated to my school work and to my education. I am dedicated to gain that
higher knowledge that my people before me didn’t have.
When I
was younger, I didn’t understand that different could mean bad. That different
was also being weird, or becoming an outcast. I always thought that everyone
would accept me, but living in a non-perfect world and being different was
being a freak. I remember when I moved to a new city, and I was the only child
with colored skin. I was shunned, ridiculed, ignored, and even bullied. A few
of my classmates started avoiding me, and telling other kids not to play with me
because of my difference. No one understood why I was the way I was, but I
looked past this, and moved on.
When I
grew older, I realized why I was being treated this way. I was different. When
I moved again, there were other colored-skinned kids like myself, but it wasn’t
my skin tone that set me apart. It was my clothing. I didn’t dress like the
other kids. What I wore was the traditional clothing of my people. I thought
this was normal, but it wasn’t.
I took
this opportunity to learn, and to observe things about myself that set me apart
from all the other kids. I learned and taught myself how to blend in and not
look and act so different, soon I became just like the other kids, and I wasn’t
so different after all. Although there are some characteristics that I have
that set me apart from others still, like the traditions I carry of my people.
My
difference has helped me as well. By being different, I have learned to think
outside the box. Where I come from, it isn’t likely that women get a higher
education, but I have passed their level of knowledge, and I will continue
doing so. My difference has motivated me to prove to others that I can go
against the odds and graduate from college, and being different is also what
pushed me into being that person who gets into college.
As much
as I was dedicated to fit in, I am twice more dedicated towards my education.
My motivation is from my people, and my dedication is towards my future
knowledge. Being different could be bad, but being different could bring
everyone, including me, to a better place. Being different is what caused me to
choose the path of knowledge.
