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Asking for Help... Helps

By Daphney Dozois, Grade 12
This is my second year at Stanstead College. When I arrived here last year, I was a shy student who did not ask for help, didn’t participate in class and tried to overcome so many challenges on my own, such as switching from a public school to a private school. I knew help was offered to me; I just didn’t want it because I wanted to prove that I was capable on my own.  
 
Another thing you may not know about me is that I was a figure skater from the age of 6 until last year. Figure skating has taught me many life values such as work ethic, getting up when things are hard and never giving up until you get it. In figure skating, you try a jump, fall, get hurt but most importantly get up and try it again, and again, and again. In skating, I had to learn to face adversity with a smile and open mind. Many of the girls I competed against were my friends. My coaches did not tolerate any lack of respect towards other skaters, coaches or judges. 
 
Another thing figure skating brought into my life was discipline. For 10 years, I trained several times a week, including 7:00 am practice on Saturdays. This meant that I had to be ready to work hard early in the morning, and being tired was never an excuse.
 
However, skating did have one negative affect on me. I started having performance anxiety in the last years of skating. With the help and support of my coaches, I never let this get the best of me, and I accomplished my goal of skating all the way until graduation of Grade 11.  
 
Where am I going with all this biography of myself? Let me explain… 
 
Last year, after a couple of months, I realized that I couldn’t make it through all of it on my own. Once I figured out that the life lessons I got from figure skating would help me out with school, my mindset changed. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and ask for help. I attended so many extra help sessions, I started asking questions, reaching out to my teachers and so on. This changed my experience at the school. I also wanted to continue stepping out of my comfort zone, so I applied to be a prefect. Putting myself out there to the max. I do not regret this choice.  
 
My advice to you is: put on your skates, try that jump, get back up when you fall and keep trying until you make it. Ask questions, talk to your teachers and more than anything, get involved with everything going on campus. Stepping out of your comfort zone will make you grow as an individual and open your eyes to a world of possibility. 
 
 
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