Becoming An Outsider

Everybody has their own way of defining themselves. Through hobbies, interests, personalities, or experiences. This is how we become an individual; by expressing our inner selves through the things we love, fully and without fear of judgment. However, throughout our lives we constantly seek approval from our peers, leaders, family, and friends, which is destructive in becoming an individual. How can you define yourself if you always look for acceptance from others? In this lifelong effort, people hide their true selves from others to avoid the rejection we fear most people will have. This concept was very true for me growing up. I was constantly put into a new setting where I was in desperate need of acceptance. The feeling of being an outsider was always on my shoulders and the only way to get rid of it was to try being like the other kids. Throughout my childhood and teenage years I was always moving around with my family. Always being in a new environment with new people, new perceptions of who I was, and new feelings of

“These people here are not going anywhere in life, they will graduate, get married and stay here. You on the other hand, have intentions of leaving, of becoming someone.” Mr. Anderson had known my family outside of school and knew of my aspirations of leaving the state and getting into Texas A & M’s pre-vet program. He would always say, “These people are not worth hiding your true being, because who you are is much better than who they will ever be.” This was probably the turning point of defining myself. I realized what I had been doing throughout the years and realized how destructive it truly was. From that point I made it a goal to try not to hide in the crowd, but to be confident in standing alone. Over time this became easier for me. I began to understand that everybody has their own flaws that they don’t like about themselves, and you can either try to hide it or embrace