My Meaningful Personal Experience

This summer, I attended the Student Climate and Conservation Congress (SC3) hosted at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in West Virginia. This was a program that I had hesitated to apply for, fearing that I might not be accepted.

As I was filling out the application I had some doubts, I was confident that I wouldn’t get accepted because the questions on the application seemed advanced, and I didn’t feel like I knew enough. The program was described as one of the most prestigious environmental leadership programs , leaving me convinced that my application did not meet the mark. The anticipation only added to my anxiety, as the information regarding the time of acceptance emails was vague. I checked my email probably every 10 minutes, including my spam because I was convinced every time it would just appear. After anxiously waiting, I opened my email, and there was an email that said I had been accepted. I had never applied to any program like this. I was absolutely shocked they thought my application was good enough. Now all I had to do was just wait. 

Finally, in July 2023 I got to actually go to NCTC and do all the things I had been looking forward to. But the first day we had to do something horrible…Public speaking. We had to get up on a microphone in front of all the people and say what we thought were the biggest threats to our environment. Not once, not twice, but at least 3 times. As I watched everyone casually go up there with confidence, I started to get the feeling that I wasn’t really cut out for this. Everyone’s answers sounded so smart, and I didn’t think I should even read my cards. While I stood in line, I recited my lines in my head to ensure I wouldn’t stumble. Now I’m on the stage, there were so many eyes on me, and I nervously read my card.Then, I looked up in front of me and saw head nods, and heard the sound of snapping fingers. Were these genuine signs of agreement with what I had to say?

All week I gradually became more confident around the people around me and realized that we all had a common interest. We all were smarter than we thought, wanted to learn more, and liked being outside. I participated more in our discussions there than I ever did in class discussions at school, because for once I really felt like I knew what I was saying. This was nothing like math class where I would keep my head down hoping I didn’t get called on. This experience made me realize that I did belong there, and I know more than I think I do.