Assignment: Write a statement of personal belief or conviction in a certain ideal, principle, or thing. Offer supporting reasons and/or experiences that illustrate why you hold this belief. What makes you believe in this thing or idea? How has this belief enriched your life?
Your paper, like the examples we’ve listened to on NPR, should be a combination of philosophical reflection and examples or experiences that illustrate why you hold this belief.
Length: 300-400 words
Embrace Your Own Differences.
I was born to a Hawaiian mother and a Tongan father. Growing up in a suburb full of Mexicans and Filipinos, I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb. No one looked like me. I had long coarse hair that needed to be braided every single day because it was too wild to let loose. I was taller than all the girls in my classes and even most of the boys. My round nose didn’t have much of a bridge, so it wasn’t quite able to hold up my thick, heavy glasses. They always slipped down. All the girls I knew had cute, familiar names. I cringed whenever we had a substitute teacher in school. There I was with my strange and complicated name that no one could pronounce-Ehulani L_____. I never felt like I fit in, I was just TOO different.
This went on until my very last semester of high school, when I was a 17-year-old senior. I had a teacher who insisted on calling me, “Ehulani” instead of my preferred nickname of, “Lani”. It didn’t sound so bad when she said it. It actually did sound beautiful like the Hawaiian meaning of which it’s derived, “red mist of heaven”. I started to introduce myself by my full name, and even enjoyed it too. I delighted in the compliments that stemmed from those who heard the meaning of my name. For once, there was actually something magnificent from being different! Of course it took time for people to pronounce my name correctly, but once they did, I was unforgettable. I loved that!
My long coarse hair that I once detested became my prize possession. I accidentally discovered the wonders of hair gel and how it could bless my life. It transformed my hair into pretty ringlets that were just right! Female friends would touch my hair in envy. I finally had a reason to love my gel-tamed wild hair.
I thought I’d forever be the ‘ugly duckling’ that stood out like a sore thumb. It took an outsider’s perspective and a funny little accident to turn my negatives into beautiful positives. In the last 13 years of life, I have learned to view the proverbial cup as being half-full. There is beauty in everything and everyone. Sometimes we just need to dig deeper to see the beauty, but it’s there. It’s always there.
[This was probably my most favorite English assignment this semester! I love my little essay. I never thought I'd endure that awkward & embarrassing time in life, and finally be comfortable in my own skin. I feel like a better person because of my past.]
