Reflective Essay: My Life At The JSA Summer School
Simply put, I had no baggage with these people; I did not have to account for any actions of the past. As I lugged my bags up to the fourth floor of the Georgetown LXR dormitory for the start of the JSA Summer School, I imagined the people I was going to meet: my roommate, my floor-mates, and my classmates. Just before I entered my room, I saw a student walking out of the room across from mine. With a tremor in my voice, I introduced myself to him, shook his hand, then retreated to my room. That evening, we met for the first time as an RA group and introduced ourselves to each other. For the first time in my life, I introduced myself as ‘AP,’ my nickname, rather than ‘Apurv,’ my given name. I was relieved after our introductions were finished,
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I would try to turn every situation into a joke, mocking the people around me and leading them to dislike me. I pushed people away from me by being extremely guarded and never opening up to anyone. I would never share my feelings with others, and instead I would deflect any questions into sarcastic humor. I was insecure about who I was, and I tried to make people like me by making them laugh, not realizing that I was truly insulting the people around me. My classmates, teachers, and family told me that I had a mean streak; however, I ignored this critique believing that they simply did not appreciate my jokes. I failed to realize that they represented the majority: I was disliked for being mean.
At the JSA Summer School, I made a concerted effort to be liked. I realized that I could take advantage of the fact that these people did not know me to try out a new identity. I wanted to be nice; I wanted to be the person who others genuinely liked, not the one that they occasionally tolerated. I finally recognized the faults in my personality, and I hoped that I could work to change them and improve myself. At Georgetown, I vowed to not make jokes at the expense of others. I aimed to defeat my mean streak, and to do so I knew that my sense of humor would have to be
I would try to turn every situation into a joke, mocking the people around me and leading them to dislike me. I pushed people away from me by being extremely guarded and never opening up to anyone. I would never share my feelings with others, and instead I would deflect any questions into sarcastic humor. I was insecure about who I was, and I tried to make people like me by making them laugh, not realizing that I was truly insulting the people around me. My classmates, teachers, and family told me that I had a mean streak; however, I ignored this critique believing that they simply did not appreciate my jokes. I failed to realize that they represented the majority: I was disliked for being mean.
At the JSA Summer School, I made a concerted effort to be liked. I realized that I could take advantage of the fact that these people did not know me to try out a new identity. I wanted to be nice; I wanted to be the person who others genuinely liked, not the one that they occasionally tolerated. I finally recognized the faults in my personality, and I hoped that I could work to change them and improve myself. At Georgetown, I vowed to not make jokes at the expense of others. I aimed to defeat my mean streak, and to do so I knew that my sense of humor would have to be