On the first day of my high school acting class, I remember being painfully shy. In a class with only three sophomores, including myself, and mostly seniors, I only knew two people: my sister’s junior friend and my previous English teacher. 

The teacher had the class do acting warm-ups to start out the day. It was awkward at first, but eventually, we all shed away our shyness. While I was not the most boisterous in class, I enjoyed the easygoing atmosphere. Throughout the semester, I got to know some of the seniors better, and I even became friends with Sara, the only other Sophomore girl in acting class. 

Towards the end of the semester, the teacher told the class about our final‒we would be writing and performing our own play! I love to write, but I was nervous about sharing my ideas with the class. However, I was gone when everyone was assigned a scene to write and direct. 

When the first draft of the script was seen by the teacher, she stated that there needed to be more scenes and developed plots for everyone. I wanted to volunteer, but I was too sheepish to share my writing with everyone. 

There were two people in class when I arrived early the next day: the teacher and a Senior girl named Gabby. Taking a deep breath, I went to the teacher and said I could write the scenes that were needed, but I asked her not to say who wrote the scenes since I was bashful when it came to my writing. The teacher then called Gabby to her desk and said we would be working together in writing the script. 

At first, Gabby and I wrote just one scene. Then, one scene turned into two scenes, and two scenes turned into three. Every time the teacher showed the class, the class would say they loved the scene, and they would ask for more. Slowly, I started to get more confident in my writing. One day, the teacher announced I wrote a certain scene to the entire class, but it did not matter. Over time, I broke out of my shell, learned to share my ideas with others, and had gained confidence in my writing. 

Before the production started, the teacher made booklets for the audience. I was skimming its contents when something caught my eye. Ms. Markano had written a special thanks to both myself and Gabby for writing the majority of the scenes. It was then when I truly realized how much I had grown from the beginning of the semester, from when I had been a timid student afraid of sharing my ideas. Unknowingly, I also found that my true passion: not acting, but scriptwriting.

On account of this experience, I believe that my writing skills and confidence that I learned in acting class will help me achieve greatness in my future.

Once one finds confidence in themself, he or she can overcome even his or her biggest insecurities.