Learning to Stand Without a Shadow by Audrey

Learning to Stand Without a Shadow by Audrey - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

I was in southern Germany one summer on vacation visiting distant cousins with my mom. We had plans to go to a nearby lake house with our cousins, but I caught COVID on the plane ride there. To make up for lost time, we decided to explore the small neighboring towns. “Whenever I feel the car becoming hard to move faster, that’s when you switch the gear,” my mom would tell me while driving our family’s manual car around to our next destination. I tried to have as much fun as I could on these drives because in a few days, my mom would be gone, and I would be on my own.

The lingering thought of being without her, the only person I knew well there, held me back from socializing with anyone. I am a shy person, sometimes only contributing my name or occasional smile in public conversations. I felt nervous, leaving her in the long line to check-in at the airport, because I wouldn’t have the mutual relationship of my mother to keep these conversations going, let alone in a foreign country. After a couple of days, I realized I could do whatever I wanted and grew confident that I could walk around on my own. I went to the grocery store and eventually built up the courage to speak German to the cashier. I beamed with pride and happiness at my accomplishment. Being on my own had opened a whole new world that I hadn’t explored before.

When I remember this past experience, it gave me independence and I finally came out of my shell. When I look back on my shyness, staying with cousins alone, I would tell my past self to dig deep, find your confidence and your independence that will make you stronger. The only way to grow as a person is to embrace new opportunities. It is within these social interactions that you will find friends and connect with the people that matter most to you. I now know that once you put yourself out there, good things will come from it.