expanding relationships

I don't know what it's like to have a disability, but I do know what it's like to feel left out.

Growing up I was always a shy person when it came to meeting lots of new people at one time. When I first started college about 3 years ago, I remember hating it at first. I only knew a few people from my home town that were there but I wasn't close to any of them. My best friend who was going to the same college, wasn't supposed to come until the following semester. I had a really hard time the first couple of months. I was afraid to talk to people and becasue of this I didn't know hardly anyone. I kept quiet in my classes and didn't quite know my roommates well enough to feel like we were good friends. I hated feeling alone.

Now I have changed quite a bit. After two years at BYU-Idaho, I took a year off to teach English in Taiwan. It was one of the best things that I have ever done and really helped me to open up. Now that I am here at a new school, I feel alot more confident than I had been before. I came here to Hawaii knowing 2 people, which in fact I didn't really know that well. I had only met them a few times before. I thought that I was going to have a hard time getting adjusted to being here and having to start over again. Actually, I feel like I fit in here. I have met a ton of people and feel like this is really where I am supposed to be. I have connected with friends, co-workers and teachers in a way that I never did while I was in Idaho.

"Connections are crucial to quality of life." People need people! I can't even imagine being a kid in school who has a disability. I was extremely insecure growing up and to have a disability that young students might not accept would be difficult. I admire those people who have overcome their disabilities and have made the best of their life. I know that students can be cruel to others and have seen it in my own life. IT is important to emphasize the importance of relationships with others.