~~~Senior Writing~~~
"A Day without Sunshine is like, you know, Night."
~Steve Martin
Autobiographical Narrative
Effective communication was always a problem for me when I was younger. All throughout my preschool years until second grade, I struggled with the English Language. As it was, technically my second language after Punjabi, I found it difficult to communicate with my peers. Because of this language barrier I was often found in the back of the class, daydreaming, while the teacher continued on with the class, oblivious to the fact that I never actively participated in group projects or activities. My difficulties in being able to express myself in a language that was known fluently to those around me not only affected my studies, but my peer relations as well. I was, more often than not, completely ignored during our allotted free-times by my peers because, they claimed, they could not understand my comments to them or my attempts at conversations; therefore, I was left alone for the most part during my early years.
In the middle of my third grade year, a long-awaited church was built in Porterville—the Sikh Center of Porterville. The church was the first one to ever be built locally, which allowed my whole family to have regular attendance. Even though the church hosted a regular Punjabi class that I was a part of, it managed to assist me not only in my English language development, but also in my communication skills overall. The instructor of the Punjabi class was also an English teacher in a local high school; whenever she brought forth a new lesson to my class, she would also translate it in English for those whom English was a stronger suit. In this way I was able to expand my English vocabulary by relating them to my broad Punjabi one. However, I was not satisfied with mediocre improvement. Once I realized that enhancing my English was not an impossible feat, I wanted to go beyond just improving my conversational skills and develop my poor public speaking skills.
I had always been a quiet yet observant child because of my lack of involvement with kids my age. With the encouragement of my Punjabi class instructor, by the time I entered high school I was able to effectively participate in the cultural debates held semi-annually at the Porterville Sikh Center. These debates and speeches were in a language that I was quite comfortable with and gradually built my self-confidence to where I now volunteer to do presentations and speeches in English whenever I can, whether it is during FBLA club meeting, for AVID recruitment, or for class projects.
The struggles I had to undergo because of a language barrier have shown me the true importance that effective communication plays in a person's life. I am no longer that student who sits in the shadows of the classroom, afraid of being called on by the teacher for fear of what might come out of her mouth. I am now a proud and engaged member of my community, always ready to step forward and help my peers -whether it is assistance in putting a presentation together or completing advanced English homework - because I have experienced firsthand what a little encouragement, recognition, and determination can do to shape your life for the better.
In the middle of my third grade year, a long-awaited church was built in Porterville—the Sikh Center of Porterville. The church was the first one to ever be built locally, which allowed my whole family to have regular attendance. Even though the church hosted a regular Punjabi class that I was a part of, it managed to assist me not only in my English language development, but also in my communication skills overall. The instructor of the Punjabi class was also an English teacher in a local high school; whenever she brought forth a new lesson to my class, she would also translate it in English for those whom English was a stronger suit. In this way I was able to expand my English vocabulary by relating them to my broad Punjabi one. However, I was not satisfied with mediocre improvement. Once I realized that enhancing my English was not an impossible feat, I wanted to go beyond just improving my conversational skills and develop my poor public speaking skills.
I had always been a quiet yet observant child because of my lack of involvement with kids my age. With the encouragement of my Punjabi class instructor, by the time I entered high school I was able to effectively participate in the cultural debates held semi-annually at the Porterville Sikh Center. These debates and speeches were in a language that I was quite comfortable with and gradually built my self-confidence to where I now volunteer to do presentations and speeches in English whenever I can, whether it is during FBLA club meeting, for AVID recruitment, or for class projects.
The struggles I had to undergo because of a language barrier have shown me the true importance that effective communication plays in a person's life. I am no longer that student who sits in the shadows of the classroom, afraid of being called on by the teacher for fear of what might come out of her mouth. I am now a proud and engaged member of my community, always ready to step forward and help my peers -whether it is assistance in putting a presentation together or completing advanced English homework - because I have experienced firsthand what a little encouragement, recognition, and determination can do to shape your life for the better.
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