After four years of high school, I have learned many things. I learned that Genghis Khan led China’s Yuan Dynasty, and that the word “amazing” has lost its meaning and should not be used in a formal essay (oops).Besides these essential morsels of academic information, I also learned that at the end of the day, you have to be happy with who you are and live without regret.
I learned this lesson at my improv comedy troupe at school. During one of my first performances, I remember making a joke that just bombed. Suffice it to say, I felt mortified. The feeling of rejection crushed me. But, I had to finish the rest of the show, which left me with two choices: try to end in a blaze of glory, or keep a low profile with my confidence in ruins.
I learned that in life, there are going to be moments of pure devastation, but you can’t let these moments overcome you. You have to have confidence in yourself and in your skills to keep persevering.
Every day, I continue to put myself out there in the hopes that, despite the minor setbacks, there will be moments of success that I can take pride in.
Ethan Stern will be an entering freshman at Washington University this fall.
