1. Where did you spend your basic education?

During my elementary schooling, I had multiple challenges that proved overwhelming to me.
Although I was an average student, I lacked the self-confidence and the conviction needed to utilize my
potential. I had self-esteem issues that served to wreck me terribly. Although I had defined personal
aspirations, I harbored negative thoughts and feelings about myself. Many times, I had the conviction
that I could not improve my grades because I was an average student. The negative feelings had taken a
salient toll on, and served as a regular inner torment. Developing self-esteem proved highly challenging
for me. It affected my studies adversely because sometimes I got low scores. Moreover, I had a constant
nagging fear that dissuaded me from making trials in life. Although I loved dancing, I never auditioned
for the school dance troupe; for fear that, I may be eliminated and people make fun of me since I am
skinny and soft guy. My teachers recognized my weakness and made concerted efforts of helping me.
The problem progressed almost throughout middle school, and served to disorient me badly. Before
entering grade six, I realized that a self-drive for learning was mandatory if I needed to achieve my long-
term goals. I still harbored the negative feelings I had in the previous years. However, I had a session of
self-reflection that helped me realize that I needed help. I decided to discuss with my parents about my
salient problem. My father recognized the seriousness with my problem, and offered me emotional
support, ensuring me that with a change of attitude. My father makes way to help me. He searches for
different people who can help me with my situation. My father identified a mentoring program that
handled students. The program was an intense one-week workshop designed to present students with
exercises that would help them recognize the enormous potential they had. When my father showed
me the schedule of events, I realized it was a potential solution. The first day of that workshop helped to
me to realize that life was a purposeful venture. As this realization kept me afloat, meditation helped
reaffirm it. This formed a positive basis for the entire week. The workshops introduced different tools of
intelligence testing, and I realized I was an above average student. In disbelief, I took the tests three
consecutive times to ascertain the results. I wondered why I had spent the previous year’s feeling
insufficient. The one-week experience in that workshop transformed me into a person with a positive
perspective towards life. It served to drive away the fear that had controlled me for years. As I go to high
school, I exhibited more confidence. I registered tremendous improvement in my studies, a factor that
impressed my parents. In order to diversify my skills and maximize learning, I joined co-curriculum
activities in the school. I had gained a lot of skills from that experience, and I maintained a balance
between my studies and those activities. I posted impressive grades in high school and became
consistent honor student.