In high school, it’s common for students to begin to discover themselves and adapt, including transforming to be more open and less shy. A few ERHS students shared their stories of how and why they came out of their bubble.

“I am a lot less shy,” voiced senior Trey Peters. “I finally put myself out there to do something that I love which was [that] I auditioned for the school’s musical, Hairspray, and I ended up being one of the lead characters.”

“I’ve spent most of my life just being afraid of people, afraid of being myself because I was afraid of being rejected and people wouldn’t understand me or like who I am, so I just kept to myself a lot,” Peters explained.  “I was just tired of being by myself and just tired of not being a part of anything,” he continued. “Once I got fed up with being alone, my drive to want to be a part of something and meet people was mainly what got me there.”

“I know that I am different,” Peters said, “and I know a lot of people don’t know how to accept that,” and that’s what he believed held him back from meeting new people. “Once I auditioned and I got the part that boosted my confidence… just showing up to the auditions was my first step,” Peters shared. “Receiving positive feedback… it was like A-okay to be myself and do what I want to do.” Peters went on to share the steps he took to come out of his shell. “I changed my mindset in terms of how I view myself.” “The reasons why I wouldn’t have any friends or [wouldn’t] talk to anybody [was] because I would convince myself that I wasn’t good enough to be their friend, or look cool enough, or I wasn’t smart enough… I had to get rid of that negative thinking and choose to see the good in people.”

Peters explained that people used to tell him “all the time” that “if you just put yourself out there, it may not work out exactly how you want it to,” and yet you shouldn’t “let fear grip you to the point where you can’t function.” “And that’s where I was at, I wasn’t functioning,” said Peters.

“Think positive of yourself, take yourself away from people that make you feel less of yourself, surround yourself with supportive people,” Peters advised. “Once you decide that it’s okay to make friends and its okay to put yourself out there, it will work out eventually,” he encouraged.

Senior Brenda Tankeu similarly shared her story of becoming more open. “I’m not [as] shy as before, because I have learned to have confidence in myself through the years, from ninth grade to tenth grade.”

“I have just learned to be open. At first it was difficult to just see someone and just talk to them and be friends and have a conversation, but now I have to go out there,” she said.  “As I grew older, I knew that I’m not going to be acting the same as I was two years ago, I know that soon I’m going to graduate high school so I have to make sure that I have communication with people, I have to interact with other people.”

“I just thought everybody was intimidating… I was scared of rejection,” Tankeu confessed.

“When I first came here in America, it was difficult to transition because most of the kids were American; when you try to talk to them they be like, ‘I’m not hearing what you’re saying, what are you saying? I can’t hear that.’ I thought that everybody was like that, so it made me back up a little bit… if you don’t know how to speak English it’s like you can’t even talk to them,” she said. “I didn’t really know how to speak English, so I had to learn,” Tankeu said.

“If you’re shy, try to talk to someone about it and how they can help you go through it… you’re not going to stay shy for your whole life, you have to get out there,” Tankeu advised .”Just ask someone that you are really close to, like your friend, like your best friend,” Tankeu concluded.

Sophomore Adyia Cooks said she had been shy “forever.” “I stayed to myself,” she said. However, now she describes herself as “outgoing,” because, as she said, “I don’t care what people say… I don’t let what people say get to me.”