Bhavana

**By: Bhavana Vadlamani ** The first day I walked into Green Hope, I was a nervous and intimidated sophomore transferring in from India. My immediate impression of Green Hope was that this was a place where people tried to create a name for themselves. It is an understatement to say that adjusting to the new environment as a whole was a challenge; however I eventually found my way around.
 * Life at Green Hope Speech **

I’m proud to say that after these few years, I have made a niche for myself at Green Hope, however little that niche may be. I’ve been able to balance becoming involved with clubs at school as well as keep up my extracurricular activities, such as Indian singing and dance, as well as art. I kept up my grades too. Last year, I was thrilled to receive the senior award in my art class. Participating and developing myself within these activities came naturally to me, since I loved them, what was difficult was branching out, socially.

Luckily, I was able to find people at Green Hope who were like me; shy and awkward outwardly, but extremely outgoing once they were known. At the same time, I’ve been able to make friends with people who were the complete opposite; always confident and daring individuals. I believe this diverse body of amazing people have taught me so many great life lessons, and have even pushed me to do things completely out of my comfort zone; for example like singing onstage.

You may ask, have I changed after being at Green Hope? Honestly, yes and no. I am still shy, awkward, and scared to speak out at times, but I have learnt to overcome these barriers with the advice of my friends. I have found a way to express myself through several mediums and intend to persist in these activities, adding what I can to them as the years move on.

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