“Quiet people have the loudest minds.” A quote by Stephen Hawking. A quote I never forgot, and never will. It is where I heard this that I had begun my quest; a quest to find myself and to escape the jaws of social abandonment. For years I was shunned, not quite meeting the conventional standards of those around me. I entered the place where supposedly boys are turned into men, and men into graduates, and there it was, I found who I was, I learned how to be myself. I learned to take down my mask, and never put it back on to hide from those I did not know. I learned how to do this through the help of another; without whom I wouldn't exist today.

What I am most proud of learning is how to be myself. Through the help of one special person, I was able to overcome my fear of what people thought of me. Through the words of this same individual I was taught more than what the wisest monk could say to me. Through this individual, I saw everyone differently. Through her I was taught not to pay any heed to the scathing remarks of those less kind about me being nothing more than mediocrity. I was taught the most important aspect of life that I could never grasp myself, which was only to be true to myself, and I have her to thank.

But what is one man without many. Had I not let out my inner self, I would not have made all of the friends that I have now. Some who will be there for me, others who won’t. Some who will comfort me in my times of duress, others who will tell me to toughen up. Nevertheless, they have shown me kindness, and have given me their friendship, where others would not, and who but her do I have to thank.

No one else could have explained the importance of knowledge to me through silence better than she. No words of the subject permeated our lips, yet I knew that it was a subject of great significance to her. Yet even through my beliefs, I changed, and I learned to love and treasure everything I learned. No matter what the subject was or how difficult it was to comprehend, I held onto what I learned like a child holding her Mothers’ hand, afraid to let go, for fear of losing all she had. For the gift she has given me, there is not enough gratitude in my heart to express to her.


Many personal milestones have been achieved since my changing. I have become less fearful when publicly speaking. Before her I had thought of the pursuit of knowledge just a game, and now it is my top priority. My life was changed in the most drastic way possible, but for the better. I will never look back on who I was, because I am going to focus on who I am, and who I will be. But, I still wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t have those who stood beside me. Most important however, was who stood by my side no matter what; the one who would never let me down, who always had my back, the one who would always cheer me up. But most importantly, the one who taught me how to be myself, and for that, I thank her, from the bottom of my heart.