I began to understand how to take others’ feelings into consideration

I’ve always come across as someone who isn’t approachable. People tended to think that I was scary or mean. A teacher once told me that I had a smirk on my face when I was presenting in front of the class, when I only meant to show that I was passionate about the subject. In middle school, I used to physically bully my friends as a way of showing tough love; I thought it was just joking around, but when one kid asked me if I would appreciate that if someone else did it to me, it hit me hard. It wasn’t until then that I began to understand how to take others’ feelings into consideration. However, that pendulum swung even further in the other direction and caused me to become more shy because I was afraid of being mean to others; I wasn’t sure how to be friendly without being rude. I’ve gradually learned how to maintain friendships, but college has really shown me how important it is to be intentional with relationships. In high school, I saw my friends everyday and didn’t really think about it, but once I left for college, I realized how much harder it is to maintain friendships when you don’t see each other all the time. Because I’ve had to learn this the hard way, I’m a very nonjudgmental person. I tend to see the good in people and give them grace. I understand that small mistakes don’t define who people are. I’m still fairly introverted, so it can be difficult to get to know me. However, once you do, I will be a loyal friend who is sweet, fun, occasionally sarcastic, and not afraid to speak my mind.