I've always been very well known around my school. Pretty much everybody knows me for being one of the loudest people on campus. Multiple people have told me things along the lines of "Lily, I could hear you from across the quad" or "Lily, I recognized your voice across the entire building full of people." And I know that everyone has had different feelings regarding my loudness. Some people consider it annoying, while others find it endearing. But I've personally found many (MANY) perks and drawbacks to my loudness.

First off, it's always easy to get people's attention. Whether asking people in Big Al's if anyone wants a free burger or trying to regroup my class for the discussion I was leading, I've always been able to get the attention of my peers (and essentially everyone in the room) whenever I need it.

Secondly, because of my loud voice, people have considered me charismatic and approachable. I come across as immediately warm and friendly because of my large personality. I've even had people tell me that they had heard and seen me around campus and they want to get to know/be friends with me. Branching off of this, people have told me that my traits make me a good, strong leader.

However, I know that people also find me annoying based on my loudness. They think that because I'm loud, I don't know how to be quiet, how to respect people's privacy, or how to act in a socially responsible manner. People are then unable to take me seriously or listen to me, because they think that everything that comes out of my mouth will either be screamed, giggled at, or get repeated/shouted to others.

I feel bad that I constantly have to be told "Lily. You are shouting. Please be quieter. You need to be quieter." Sometimes, I wish people would realize that I am trying to be quieter, but it really is a huge part of my personality. I know that I should embrace this piece of it, but sometimes it feels as though the drawbacks outweigh the occasional benefits. I want people to be able to listen to me and take me seriously without finding me annoying and childish. I want people to realize that although I am loud, I try to be trustworthy and caring. I still work hard to complete all of my work, and I still need to recharge and be by myself sometimes.

So, to my quieter friends, please just try to be patient with people who are loud like me. We are trying to be quieter, and we don't want to annoy you. And to my fellow loud friends, remember that it's okay to be loud. Don't let others get you down and tell you how to live your life.