The Quiet Girl

Being an introvert can have its challenges. Often times people ask, “why are you so quiet?” I never thought being quiet was bad. Sometimes I just don’t feel like talking or I have nothing to say. When I joined the Scholars Program at KSU I knew this would be another great opportunity to further my education. This was a program for exceptional business students where we would learn additional business skills that would not be normally taught in the classroom. We would take four classes that included: leadership, critical thinking, consulting, and business intelligence. There was a summer study abroad trip after the critical thinking class. My cohort had a total of 18 students and just about everyone was an extrovert. In the beginning, I felt hard to connect because not only was I an introvert, but I was also the only Black student. As a minority, sometimes it’s hard to adjust when there isn’t anyone like you around. I knew with just being shyer it would be more challenging to make friends as quickly.

Before classes started, we had a summer retreat. I felt nervous because I had only met a few people that I remembered beforehand. I think I sat by myself on the bus on the way there. Eventually, I made some friends with Elle, Josette, and Megan. Over time, I was cool with everyone. I remember the fear of water activities on the retreat because I cannot swim. Water has always been a fear of mine and when I found out we were going white water rafting, I felt so many emotions. I went with it because I was too afraid to sit out but I was thankful we had life jackets. White water rafting was actually really fun and I faced my fears. Luckily our raft did not flip over because that is quite common. Sometimes being with a different crowd can make you feel outside of your comfort zone but sometimes you need that.

As the year passed, I got used to being that quiet girl. Everyone was chatty but not me. Often times I would be called on for that reason alone. I was a great worker and team member. I feel like I could work with anyone within the cohort. When we had our Target Case Study, my team won the competition. Just because I was “quiet” did not mean I could not produce results. It was exciting because my team won the actual prize money. I do not consider myself competitive, I just wanted to make sure the presentation was superb.

When the cohort traveled to the Dominican Republic, I was again outside of my comfort zone because I had never been to another country. However, I was able to adapt and had an amazing time. My host family was wonderful and I was able to speak Spanish more than I thought I was going to be able too. Learning about their culture and helping with them through consulting efforts was a great learning experience too. There is so much to learn when you surround yourself with others who may not be like you.

Overall, I have had a good experience with the Scholars program. I believed it taught me to step outside of my comfort zone. I also learned that people may have a perception of you but that should not define who you are. I was "the quiet girl", but I surely made an impact. I made friends and gained experiences that I will never forget. Now in today’s world, you have to ask yourself “am I stepping outside of my comfort zone?” You will get labeled in life but sometimes you have to show the world you are more than a label.