Some people are very outgoing or peppy naturally. When I was in high school, however, I was incredibly shy. I had about 10 friends but I would only talk to about three or four regularly. I'd known them since elementary school and I just felt the most comfortable with them. I thought that I would always be shy, and although theatre did help me a lot to open up, I knew that I could still improve on my shyness and awkwardness around people. I thought it would be impossible to connect to others who I hardly knew.
I used to think that if I showed my self confidence or the fact that I was outgoing, friends would immediately be turned off or think that I was bragging, due to the fact that I had always hidden the fact that I could be outgoing, or the fact that somehow, deep inside me, I was self confident.
While I was in a youth group meeting at church, one of my friends suggested Star Island to me. She said it was like a home away from home, and that everyone was super nice and always there for each other. I was worried that cliques would be formed, and people would only be nice to those in their cliques, but I agreed to give it a try.
I was so happy that I did because I now have people who I can always talk to if I ever feel down. Star has taught me a lot of things.
1. It's okay to be self-confident.
Before I came to Star, I had little to no self-confidence. I would shy away whenever I did something right, because I didn't want the spotlight to be on me. Now, I realize it's okay to have self-confidence as long as you don't consistently brag about it.
2. Self care is important.
I never realized how important self care is until I went to Star. Whenever someone used to say they were tired or didn't want to go to something because of how exhausted they were, people would try to coerce them into going. However, at Star, I told one of my friends I was going to just be in my room because I didn't want to be around noise and she nodded and said "self-care, go ahead Jenn, I understand." I now realize how important it is to care for yourself, because during high school I really didn't, and I could be coerced easier back then into things I didn't want to do.
3. Keep your elbows off the table.
Okay, this one is just for fun, but you do learn manners at Star. If you put your elbows on the table, you need to go around the table, or come up with a phrase so you don't have to, as we have a song to sing when we notice someone has their elbows on the table.
4. Lean on others.
I consider myself lucky because my family at home is so supportive. However, it is nice to have friends you can always talk to, even if it's at 1 a.m. Star Island helps so many people because everyone truly becomes a family at the end of the week, because you spend so much time together. They all want you to be your best, and they will always have your back, no matter the circumstance, which is a very beautiful thing.
If the entire world were a little more like Star Island, we'd be a much happier nation.
