Background Story, Essay Example

One cannot overstate the impact of childhood experiences on our entire lives. I found out early in life that it is not easy to be different from the majority and even more difficult to battle the stereotypes and prejudices that downplay one’s individuality and uniqueness.

Despite going to a French school in my native United Arab Emirates, I was in the minority. The fellow students perceived me as a spoiled Arab child who had merely gotten in due to money and nationality despite the fact that I was one of the top performing students in my class. Instead of acknowledging my achievements, they assumed I was cheating, using influence and/or money to get perfect grades. I would participate actively in class discussions as well as co-curricular activities but what defined me in the eyes of my peers was my ethnic background rather than who I was as an individual. I am tempted to claim in order to appear strong that I didn’t pay attention to others but it is only human to desire acknowledgment and encouragement does wonders in motivating people to become the best they are capable of. I would always tell myself my destiny will be shaped by my own efforts and not by my origins but the feedback from others would suggest otherwise.

Keeping myself motivated and focused might have been little easier if things were different at home but that was not the case. No matter how hard I worked, satisfying my mom seemed as impossible task. I almost always fell below her expectations. Both school and home experiences influenced me in paying too much attention to external feedback and over time it became clear to me that doing so was doing more harm than good. First of all, no matter how well I performed, there was always someone disappointed or skeptical which would negatively affect my self-esteem and confidence. In addition, I lost track of what made me happy and what suited my skills and strengths. As I changed my approach to live, not only my performance further improved but I also became happier.

These experiences have not been ideal but I am glad I went through them because they have taught me more about life than years of formal education could have taught. One of the lessons I learnt is that actions speak louder than words and skeptics rarely have good intentions. I also learnt that we know our strengths better than anyone else, thus, we should pursue our own dreams rather than trying to become something others expect us to. These experiences have also taught me the prevalence of stereotypes and prejudices in societies and I am determined to inspire young generations to break from tradition and adopt progressive values. Being a woman, I am also faced with gender stereotypes that are even more prevalent in eastern societies but people who change the world often go against huge odds.

I consider myself fortunate that life has presented me with huge challenges because it also means I have the opportunity to leave greater mark on the world. I have always been a huge believer in education because education doesn’t only allow one to break through economic and social barriers but it is also the best defense against stereotypes and prejudices. Education opens up our mind and one of my goals in life is to promote education in the Middle East, especially, among women so that the Middle East of the 21^st Century is a progressive region.