I believe each of us presents a different “face” to the world, depending on the situation we are in or the people that we're interacting with. It’s a necessary part of living. You can’t act in the same way in front of your boss as you would at a house party. Or maybe you could. I don’t know what kind of laid-back, progressive company you work for. The only person I’ve heard of who always presents themselves the same way, regardless of their circumstance or company, is Atticus Finch.

While our fundamental personality never changes, we can adapt ourselves to make life easier and more comfortable. It’s like wearing a series of masks that we can easily tailor to accommodate our goals. While the basic shapes and features of each mask are the same, there are embellishments, or personal attributes, that we choose to highlight: You can have a little bit of glittery extroversion for a night out, or a touch of sophisticated humor for a meeting with your boss.

My personal experience with these metaphorical masks, however, has not been quite as simplistic as changing my face on a whim. I learned this the hard way when I started college. All throughout high school, I was a very shy, introverted, somewhat-awkward loner. I could count the number of friends I had on one hand and still have fingers left to spare. I imagined college to be my great escape. Based on the popular contemporary movies I had watched on the topic, I expected college to transform me. Once I stepped foot on campus, I knew that I would instantly be surrounded by friends who adored me, hung on my every word and couldn’t get enough of me.

The experience was…not quite that. As a socially anxious introvert with a massive inferiority complex, I had a very difficult time adjusting to college. Although I arrived on campus early for a special orientation group designed to get me more comfortable on campus, it didn’t really help me. Instead of having fun, being social, and getting to know my classmates better, I retreated into myself. I attended all the activities and engaged in the obligatory small talk, but otherwise I separated myself from the group. As more and more students arrived on campus, my feelings only intensified. To cover them up, I wore a mask. The mask I wore said that I was standoffish, unfriendly and utterly uninterested in having a social life. Although I knew that wasn’t true, no one else did, and how could they? Slowly, my peers accepted my mask at face value (pun most certainly intended). I was so unhappy that I considered transferring. I just wanted to be myself—introverted, sure, but also a loud, easily excitable, surprisingly witty geek who loves psychology, Netflix, and YouTube.

Luckily, after long talks with my family and friends, I came to the realization that no matter where I went to school, I would probably have experienced the same feelings. I might need a little more support with learning how to make my college experiences more satisfying, but I am determined to get there. During the summer, I took an internship that forced me to interact with people to help me overcome my shyness. I became more comfortable not only expressing myself, but relating to other people. Although my mask still exists, I'm slowly and subtly modifying it to reflect who I really am. Pretty soon it will be indistinguishable from my actual face (though I can always choose to embellish it if the moment demands). I’m making like Atticus Finch and I’ve never felt better.