Looking back at my journey through high school, I can honestly say that I had a blast through out those four years. I had so many great memories, and I can't really say that I really had any regrets. Well, maybe I just had one regret, and that regret was being shy.

I can 100% guarantee you that if you were to ask anyone that I went to high school with, they would tell you that they'd remember me as the kid that was super shy. I honestly can't explain why I was so shy. I mean I was able to have a full conversation with people one on one, but once I got into a larger group, I would always start to feel nervous and uneasy, resulting in me becoming shy. I think I just wasn't fully ready to be noticed and be the person that stands out in the crowd. I was kind of heavily self-critical on myself, as I was always afraid of how people would react when they talked to me. This was also seen during classes, as I always hated those teachers that would just call on people, even when they are not even raising their hand to answer! I always felt super scared during those kinds of classes because I never wanted to talk in front of everyone. If you couldn't tell already, I was the kind of student that would never raise his hand, ever. I think I just wasn't confident in myself in attempting to give a shot at a question. Whenever a teacher would call me, I would usually just freeze up, and say "I don't know." Saying those three words in front of a bunch of my peer wasn't the greatest confidence booster.

Though this might be my only regret from high school, I do realize that high school is in the past now. College is here, and I plan on taking this great opportunity of getting rid of being known as the person that never talked. Nobody in college knows what kind of person I was in high school, which gives me a fresh start to reinvent myself. I feel like it's time for me to get out of my shell, and let people know who the real me is. I know I can have conversations in big groups, and I know I shouldn't be afraid to raise my hand in a classroom setting. So instead of just saying I'm going to get rid of my shyness, I'm actually going to do it. I feel like I'm going on the right direction in conquering shyness already. As I'm joining my college's newspaper team, joining a group to discuss my faith and religion, and continuing my track career in college. I mean heck, I'm writing a personal article about my shyness, something I would never do back in the day!

Also, If your a person that is dealing with shyness, my biggest advice is to not be afraid of raising your hand in class, get involved by joining clubs and/or sports, and just have confidence in yourself. Trust me, as a person that is attempting to get rid of shyness, I'm starting to realize that the more confidence you have in yourself, the more your shyness will start to get smaller and smaller. As a person that is working on to be more outspoken and confident, hopefully I will inspire others to break out of their shells as well.