*Prompt: Describe an experience that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood. This could involve your culture, an incident in your community or family, or even a revelation of skills, ideas, life lessons etc. ***What did you learn/gain from this transition***?


The transition from childhood to adulthood is a life-changing process in it itself but is also a different experience from person to person. My experience of growth was through many years of struggle and a constant search of who I really am. At this point in my life, it's safe to say I have finally realized who I am. This transition happened from my eighth grade to freshman year in high school and it changed my life and how I look at other’s lives.

	Since birth, I have struggled with severe stuttering. This speech impediment forced me into a dark place I would never want to go again. Especially during this period in your life, it causes an extreme shift in how you see life and everyone around you. Everyone starts to seem like enemies trying to make fun of you and your integrity. This is what stuttering did to me. It made me hate myself and hate everyone around me.

	This mindset did not change until I faced my fears and went to speech therapy where I met a very nice woman. This woman taught me more than just how to handle my disability but also started to teach me how to treat other people. This early transition allowed me to be more confident with myself and with other people. Overcoming stuttering was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do to this date.

	Through this transition, I began to realize my social flaws and corrected them as best I could. This also allowed me to mend past relationships that I had destroyed. This experience taught me a lot more than just how to treat others and act in social situations but also what other people felt and to look through other people’s eyes. Although I before mentioned that this transition was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, it has also been to most beneficial towards my continual growth as a person and a leader. Since I have been in the dark and have come to the light, I am eager to grow even further as a person and as a leader.

Overcoming this disability enabled me to learn perseverance and resilience while facing adversity. With continual growth comes adversity and knowing how to deal with this adversity is a very important asset of a leader. Using this skill set I’ve developed through my high school career, I can help my community and those afflicted by everyday adversities to continue communal and hopefully nationwide growth.