Reflective Essay: My Life At The JSA Summer School

Simply put, I had no baggage with these people; I did not have to account for any actions of the past. As I lugged my bags up to the fourth floor of the Georgetown LXR dormitory for the start of the JSA Summer School, I imagined the people I was going to meet: my roommate, my floor-mates, and my classmates. Just before I entered my room, I saw a student walking out of the room across from mine. With a tremor in my voice, I introduced myself to him, shook his hand, then retreated to my room. That evening, we met for the first time as an RA group and introduced ourselves to each other. For the first time in my life, I introduced myself as ‘AP,’ my nickname, rather than ‘Apurv,’ my given name. I was relieved after our introductions were finished,
excited for the program, and ready for a fresh start with new people.

At school I was known to be sarcastic and annoying.
I would try to turn every situation into a joke, mocking the people around me and leading them to dislike me. I pushed people away from me by being extremely guarded and never opening up to anyone. I would never share my feelings with others, and instead I would deflect any questions into sarcastic humor. I was insecure about who I was, and I tried to make people like me by making them laugh, not realizing that I was truly insulting the people around me. My classmates, teachers, and family told me that I had a mean streak; however, I ignored this critique believing that they simply did not appreciate my jokes. I failed to realize that they represented the majority: I was disliked for being mean.

At the JSA Summer School, I made a concerted effort to be liked. I realized that I could take advantage of the fact that these people did not know me to try out a new identity. I wanted to be nice; I wanted to be the person who others genuinely liked, not the one that they occasionally tolerated. I finally recognized the faults in my personality, and I hoped that I could work to change them and improve myself. At Georgetown, I vowed to not make jokes at the expense of others. I aimed to defeat my mean streak, and to do so I knew that my sense of humor would have to be
improved.

When my roommate repeatedly lost and misplaced his belongings, I refrained from trying to be humorous; I chose to help him find his belongings rather than insulting him or joking about him losing them. A week into the program, I helped him find his wallet in the cafeteria, and he was extremely grateful, believing me to be a genuinely nice person. As I searched for his wallet, I hoped that my generosity would make an impression on him. Upon seeing his reaction to me finding his wallet, I felt genuinely happy, happy that he appreciated me and truly liked me. Throughout the program, I was able to use experiences such as finding my roommate’s wallet to shape myself into the person I wanted to be, rather than the person that I had been in the past. I developed a new identity that was superior to my past identity; I became more genuine, less sarcastic, more open, less annoying, and most importantly more likeable.

In the school year following the JSA Summer School, I worked hard to maintain my new identity. I was elated when multiple people came up to me and told me simply: “You’ve changed a lot since last year.” I was happy that my classmates recognized my change, and I was proud of the fact that people who had intensely disliked me my sophomore year began to like me my junior year. I was able to identify my faults, address my faults, improve my faults, and generally improve myself. Since Georgetown, I have been a happier person, and I am proud of the fact that I can clearly see that the efforts I took during summer have made me a more likeable person.