Royals 4

First, when I started high school, I was very excited about it because being a high school student meant a lot to me. I always thought that I didn’t know how to collaborate with others to produce something greater. Until my teacher assigned groups to work on a single assignment. Then I worked with my classmates on one assignment that may affect the group or individual grades. Depending on who I work with, the group vibes change. Some people don’t like to work with others, while others are the leader of the group.

My first time working with a classmate was in 9th grade when my teacher assigned us to build a group box together with a lot of other groups. It affected me a lot because as a native Somali speaker I didn’t know how to communicate with my group members or what to say. I remember that my teacher told me to come to the desk to talk and told me that if she didn’t see me communicating with my group members, I would receive an F in the group project. That’s when I try to at least share ideas, and I kind of started to work a little bit harder. I think I received a C in the group, and the rest received A’s. And my teacher said that I did well, but that I should do a little more work in the future. But I know myself well, and that wasn’t my first time collaborating with a group of people to do something together, but I felt very uncomfortable working with them. 

It wasn’t the assignment that made it difficult for me to collaborate with this group; it was our differences. I was always the quiet kid around my classmates, and building relationships was very difficult and emotionally affected me. I tried to learn English a little better. That’s when I tried to have conversations with these two boys in my English class, and they had so many questions about Islam, which was very surprising to me. I had a long conversation with them and went home that day. I told my mom about it, and she told me to always be respectful and careful about situations. 

In my 9th-grade year, I was very quiet around others, but right after I started my 10th-grade year, I was talkative around my teachers and classmates. My school is diverse, and the students that go there are all from different countries. It was a pleasure to get to know them and to collaborate with them. But it was very difficult to build strong connections with my classmates because I had 7 classes, and in each class, I had different classmates and teachers. When COVID began, the entire school was closed, and all of my classes were delivered online. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great time during COVID, but it was God’s plan, and I am grateful that now everything is back to normal. 

My junior year was my favorite year because I grew up a lot and learned a lot of things. I remember that my French teacher assigned us a group assignment where I worked with my classmates to create posters in French. This time it was very enjoyable to work with my classmates since I feel comfortable around them. I debated with one of my group members because I had a good idea and she also had a good idea, but somehow we put the ideas together and created new ideas together, and used those ideas. We will even meet during advisory, our school’s variation of study hall, to work together. 

We all received an A on the assignment, and that was the first time working with people that were very different from me but collaborated to do something together and did an amazing job. My goal is to start college right after high school because knowledge is power. Where I come from going to college isn’t something people see as worth it but for me going to college is something that I want to do and prove that having a college degree can lead to better success and open doors of opportunities. Life is a learning process, and being able to recognize our own strengths and weaknesses can help us become better individuals in anything we choose to do. And I believe that if people work hard for one another, it will result in a better community and environment. 

From the leadership opportunities of group projects throughout my high school career, I have been inspired to work harder and further my education. And by receiving the scholarship, I will be able to start my college career right after I finish high school because the scholarship can provide financial support to help cover the cost of my tuition, books, and other expenses related to my education. I plan on studying education or communication to help people that believe college can’t lead to a successful life or that don’t have any idea on how to start the process. Helping and potentially leading my community is what inspires me to further my education, and because I’m a creative person this will allow me to value people in many different ways.