Being Shy Timothy Wong

As a young boy I was always shy. I didn’t have very many friends aside from my one best friend, Christophe. Though most kids considered me quiet, with my best friend, I was silly, fun loving, and even charismatic. Growing up in a community that is 94% white, being Asian instantly set me apart from the rest of the students. Being cast aside because of my race hurt me at first; however, over time, this feeling of distinctiveness gave me the drive to prove I was as good as everyone else. Because of this, I learned to push myself and to achieve my goals. Even as a young student in fourth grade, I worked hard on my math booklets and always finished before the rest of the kids. This made me realize that I actually didn’t want to be exactly like everyone else: I wanted to excel, and therefore I wanted to be different.

In sixth grade, I changed school districts and was forced to make new friends. I thought this would be a challenge; however, I began to see it as an opportunity to make a new impression on my peers. I made another best friend, Jake, who introduced me to many other friends. From Jake, I learned the social skills I lacked at my old school, and I could more easily interact with my classmates. Instead of being “the Asian kid,...