At a young age, I would always be to myself. In order to make friends and defeat this loneliness, I pursued a false persona, where I was trying to be accepted and please everyone around me. This false persona seemed impressive to everyone, but for me, it was uncomfortable. I caused a war between my true self and my falsified character. I didn’t know what was best for me, and I was suffering because of it. Throughout my first year in college, this was ongoing, but eventually, I found a way to find my true self and be proud of who I am through surrounding myself with really supportive friends.

I haven’t revealed my true self up ‘till last year. Until then, I was buying name-brand clothing to show off my status and present myself differently to fit in. It wasn’t until I encountered a classmate, Ralph, where I finally made the decision to just be confident in myself no matter what people thought. He saw through my false persona and guided me towards the right path. He taught me to be confident in who I am and to just focus on my future goals. He would tell me, “Don’t let nobody make you feel as if you need to change to fit in. Just focus on your future and grind hard. Put yourself and your family first.” His words lit a spark in me, and I looked up to him as a big brother. He is a strong-willed person that is confident in himself and strives to succeed. Surrounding yourself with people who strive to be great is beneficial and inspiring. It is what I needed to get confident in my true self and become who I was meant to be, a motivating man aiming to live life fully and gain success, despite what people think.

Furthermore,  Ralph became a great friend of mine; he brought me around a group of friends that helped me to more. The group consists of strong-willed people just like Ralph, aiming to support each other’s endeavors. Whenever anyone has a problem with their schoolwork or a situation at home, we support them and advise them like brothers. It is like a second home. Being a part of this group helped me stay on the right path to growing into a confident, strong-willed man and developing a mature mindset. 

In addition, with everyone’s input, we were able to create a music studio, called Benzo Music Studio, using our saved money. The Benzo Music studio supports upcoming singers and rappers by providing producing services at a low cost. I may not be a rapper myself, but I found a way to support them as a music engineer. Through this experience, I was able to find my identity as creative and make lifelong relationships with some friends.