Assignment 22- Caili Harris

       Throughout my life, I have struggled with being a quieter personality. As a child, I was bullied from second through third grade, and as I entered the fourth grade I decided that I was sick of constant conflict and confrontation. To avoid this, I made myself into a quieter person. I felt that if I kept my head low and only used my voice when necessary I would be more likely to attract a nicer group and be less likely to anger or offend. In a way I was successful. Those three years were some of the nicest in my life; I connected with a really nice group, many of whom I am still friends with today. However, it became increasingly difficult to advocate for myself and voice my own opinions. What had in the beginning been my strategy to charmingly win people over, became somewhat of a self destruct button.  That’s when I decided I needed to make a change: I needed to speak up. When I made that one decision, everything changed for me. As I entered Henry Clay, I joined  many different communities, including soccer and theatre. But one thing I had never anticipated joining was speech and debate. And I cannot be more grateful that I did. Never before had I experienced that kind of community. Like me, these people had a world of different interests and loves, and each day everyone worked together to reach their goals and do what they love- whether that be a theatrical event, a speech event, or a debate event. With the help of the speech and debate community and other friends I made along the way, I became more confident in my voice and who I am as a person. Though I may be on the quieter side still, I now feel comfortable standing up for myself and for my beliefs. In addition, I have found new life through advocating for and supporting those around me. Therefore, I look for a college with the kind of community I found at Henry Clay. So far, Murray State has displayed the same type of community, and it is for these reasons that Murray State is my first choice at the moment.