i added my teachers annotations on my draft of the college essay to show what needs to be fixed/ worked on and I added the rubric i will be graded on
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success Recount a 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? (847 words) August 30, 2021 I picked up my schedule and there it was. Drama. My entire body was overcome by shock and a deep quiet that seemed to endure a lifetime. I knew I had to get out of there no matter what it took. There was no way in a million years I'd be seen by my peers dancing around like a circus clown on a wobbly, creaky theater stage in front of a group of people I could hardly say I was even acquainted with performing a script. For comparison, I could barely present a topic I knew like the back of my hand in front of my little classroom of 25 people. My body and spirit would shatter on the spot the moment I stand in front of all those people, causing me to lose any feeling of self-identity. That feeling of my entire reality vanishing before my eyes, with the entire universe rooting against me and plotting my demise, was the exact feeling that washed over me the second I saw “Drama I” on my schedule that evening. Slowly lowering myself to the ground, I plopped down and positioned myself sitting with my legs crossed over one another, and swung my hand up across my bed next to me, searching the space above my sheets for my macbook. I was already thinking about the email I was going to send to my counselor. Once I finally came across the cold metal of my laptop with the edge of my pinky finger, I leaned over a little more, and dragged my computer off the bed and into my lap. I hurriedly emailed my counselor a long message about how I needed to meet and there was a big mistake on my schedule. After requesting an appointment as soon as possible and clicking send, I turned off my computer and placed it on my desk. I got out of bed, turned off the lights, and collapsed on my bed. In a long time, I haven't felt this desperate to get out of a situation. The next day, after being called in to the counselor's office to discuss my schedule modification request, I discovered that there may be nothing I can do. All of the arts classes that I had requested in exchange for Drama were full, and while switching out would upset the rest of my schedule, which I was fine with there was still nothing they could do because there were no open seats in other classes to transfer to. There was nothing I could do to escape. I was trapped in the place I dreaded the most. Ana Kitich has officially become a drama kid. The last thing one could have imagined. But perhaps it wouldn't be so horrible after all. I don't have a choice but to make the best of the situation. It's only for a year, and then I'll be able to turn around and I'll never have to return. This was the golden thought that gave me a ray of hope in the situation I was in. But oh was I wrong. With the progression of time, I was increasingly driven to leave my comfort zone on a daily basis. I feared performing on stage, but my teacher would encourage us and tell us all about his struggles with public speaking and how he conquered them. This helped me recognize I wasn't the only one who struggled with public speaking, and that individuals who speak in front of large groups had similar challenges. Knowing I wasn't alone granted me a sense of security. With a few tiny exercises here and there, I soon developed confidence and wanted to engage and play around more on stage. Every day, I grew increasingly motivated for class. I started to volunteer and engage myself more in other classes, even if I was nervous about participating that day. Oftentimes before stepping up, if I got anxious I would shake myself out to relieve the jitters which I found helped me loosen up. Soon enough, the class I despised and tried everything to dodge became my safe haven. Each day, I spent more and more time there, attempting to become as involved as possible. I helped construct and act in the annual Haunted House held by the productions and leadership class. I both acted in it as a scare actor and was a special effects makeup artist during the project. I worked my way up to joining the Productions class via interning and putting in work to learn how the class operates by helping out around the shows and being an “extra” makeup artist for the musical Big Fish By John August. Pushing myself to make the best out of the class and finding ways to get involved helped me evolve as a person and taught me that I could overcome any obstacles and challenges that were thrown my way. I'm now in my third year of Drama and my second year of Theatre Productions, and I can't imagine my life without being a member of this beautiful program.