This is a story about what I went through as a child to now
By: Naisa Murmu
Tags: Teenagers, Autobiography, Schools

This is a story about what I went through as a child to now

I was born in Bangladesh and my family immigrated to America when I was 9 years old. Ever since I was a child I have always been a very active kid, I had a passion for dancing and loved doing music but once I moved to America things started to change for me. Although I was happy to finally be able to meet the rest of my family, my experience moving here was not really as magical as some people told me it would be. When I started school in America, I had a really difficult time. I. had many challenges throughout elementary and middle school, such as adapting to a new culture, a new place that had a huge impact on me. was often bullied by other students for being different. I started to become depressed. On top of dealing with everything at school, there was also a lot happening at home with my family. Dealing with the stress of moving to a new country along with the issues I was dealing with at home really caused me to have a difficult time coping and staying on track. When I moved on to high school, I felt like everything took a wrong turn. My first year of high school, I started to hang out with the wrong people. Instead of helping myself, I began to make poor choices like being a follower and doing what people wanted me to do instead of thinking for myself. I was trying to fit in more because I did not want to look like that outcast every high school has.At times I would try to get help with my school work and be motivated but it was just not working.Last year my mom went to one of my school meetings and heard what they said about me not passing any of my classes and how I was in danger of getting kicked out of high school if I didn’t improve my grades and attendance. At this point I had stayed back three years in high school and I felt a lot of shame. After the meeting my mom said to me, “You can’t do that. You need to get your grades up. I work hard every day only for you.” Her words made me feel very useless and how bad of a daughter I was because she works so hard and makes so many sacrifices and I couldn’t do the simplest thing. My mother never asked for much except for her kids to focus on education. After that meeting, I started to feel differently. I realized that I was not really happy with myself and I felt the urge to change myself and do better in life. I began to make better decisions and I separated myself from a lot of people because I felt like their influence was distracting me from my goals.Overall, I started to focus on myself and do my own thing. Going into this school year, I realized that I never want to stay back again because I never wanted to feel that shame of disappointing my mother and I know that I want to become someone successful in the future. Someone that will make my mother proud and show her that all her work paid off. I started to communicate with my teachers more, and asking for help when I needed it instead of holding back like I. usually would. Since that day I’ve been focusing on learning more about myself, reconnecting with my younger self before I experienced these struggles and pursuing my interests such as dance. I committed to bettering myself as a young adult and growing. Now I don’t try to fit in with anyone. I have learned to be myself even if it means I will always stand out, and that my past challenges and struggles do not define me, but make me stronger today.