Mariam Nasser

Hello,

My name is Mariam Nasser. I am 18 years old and I study in Lebanon. Looking back in my early school years, I realize that some of my challenges that I faced in that time, made me a better learner today. It was one of the toughest periods in my life when I was the center of attention in a bad way. My teacher would mock me in front of my whole class and they would laugh at me. This made me feel horrible and neglected.

I used to think that if I was perfect in every class and had the best grades, then my teachers would accept me as a student and I would not be humiliated. I once believed that if I wanted to participate in class, my answers should be on point and correct. So I only sat alone and listened to the teacher, doing nothing at all as if I didn't exist. It felt like I was trapped in an escape room, until I realized that every failure I faced was a clue, leading me to the door of success.

At home, my family supported and encouraged me to do my best, but after some time, they also lost hope because I didn't seem to care about school. They did not know how to motivate me. I saw myself helpless as a ball stuck in the middle of the field, with nothing dragging me down nor pushing me up. I felt like I didn't matter to anyone, no matter what I do or how much I improve. I felt completely invisible and forgotten. Then I came to believe that my grades were the only reflection of myself to others.

Years passed, I was at a different school, the same me standing in the middle of the class, classmates clapping for me for having the best grade in class. This moment was the result of changing schools. Obviously, when someone changes schools, this person would feel terrified and scared at the beginning and this happened to me. I feared that the same challenges would repeat itself. After a short period of time, I noticed many differences between my first school and this one. First, the teachers were kind, friendly and helpful, unlike my old teachers who were aggressive and bullies. They made the lessons more fun and engaged in a two-way interaction with students. Second, the students were also friendly and supportive. For the first time, I felt that I belong in a community where they all want to succeed without leaving anyone behind.

Moreover,everything started to change step by step. I became more interactive, and didn't feel ashamed to ask for help. Slowly my confidence started to grow when my grades were improving. I realized that each good grade I got was the beginning of my success and that nothing grows without putting effort and believing in yourself. I became more confident and proud of myself. I am grateful for every failure I encountered in the past because they made me who I am today. These moments taught me patience, strength and resilience. Now I understand that the environment can't be controlled and in fact we should know how to adapt to it.

Even now as a senior in high school, I still face difficult challenges. However, I now approach them differently by seeing that every struggle is teaching me something new. I understand in order to succeed you may need to fail before you reach your goal. As Winston Churchill said, ”Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”