Thinking back on my earlier years, I was always deemed shy – which was accurate. I’d hide behind furniture, family, and any other tangible item. Throughout middle school and high school, I thankfully made friends who brought me out of my shell. I was outgoing with them. I was open with them. I wasn’t called the quiet girl with them.

Then yesterday morning happened. I felt five years old again, wanting to hide under everything and anything that could serve as a safe haven. My professor approached me during my third and final class of the day with three comments in tow:

“I see your group members talking, but I haven’t seen you. If you don’t start contributing, I’m going to separate you. You can’t be quiet the whole time while they work.”

I immediately shutdown because
1) I had actively been participating as well, and
2) that participation involved flipping through notes, reading said notes, and writing answers down – all of which don’t require speaking.

The thing that got me the most was the word she used: quiet. Earlier this week, a classmate asked me why I was so "quiet" and why I didn’t talk.

The answer is simple. I’m an introvert. By definition, it means that I look inward, as opposed to looking outward to attain energy. I pay close attention to my thoughts, I don’t enjoy small talk, and yes, sometimes that introversion involves more silence than verbal communication.

What bothers me is that my professor correlated "quiet" with a lack of production compared to my peers, while most people relate it to the entire definition of me as a person. I was contributing. I may dislike group work, and I definitely dislike speaking aloud in class, but I did both. I contributed, though I wasn’t the loudest or correct with every answer.

Not everyone has to speak 24/7 in order to come across as intelligent. Not everyone is good at vocalizing their thoughts. Not everyone wants to speak in front of people who – right away – address them with adjectives, like "quiet," instead of their real name.

I’m an introvert who happens to be more reserved, or "quiet" as many would call it, in classrooms and unfamiliar settings. At times, I can also sense some lingering shyness, but that doesn’t make me the "shy’" girl with no unique personality traits. Call me, and others, what we are – not what you think we are because you don’t know us yet.

Ask my friends and family. "Quiet" isn’t a word used in the same sentence as my name.