Always a Positive Vibe

by Ariel Willingham

When my mom told me she signed me up for this project, my immediate thought was a definite no. I didn't want to do this and was already thinking of a way to get myself out of it. By the time the pizza party rolled around, I started to get nervous.

My parents and I arrived, and while it wasn't so bad, I was still very nervous and couldn't go through with it. Just walking in the room and seeing everyone was making me even more nervous. I wasn't used to being around kids I didn't know.  It kept running through my head that I couldn't do this program this summer, but after a talk with my parents I decided that I would do it. During this summer I would try my best to overcome my nervousness, work on my social skills, and interact with new people and new things.

---

Although i was nervous at the start of the project, I've been having a good time with all the other students in the program. We have done many activities in which we had to work together in groups or with an individual. The icebreakers that we did have helped me get to know everyone better and interact with one another. I also enjoyed having our little hourly breaks and going to lunch. Just from this time alone, I feel like I have gotten to know my peers a lot more than i did in the beginning. 

I not only enjoy the people, but I enjoy the atmosphere here, too. There's always a positive vibe, and we always have something to do while here. The view is great and shows much of downtown Jackson from the 13th floor. 

While there is a lot of stuff I've enjoyed, I have learned several things already. One  is that speaking isn't as bad as it seems, even though I still have a lot of stuff to improve on. I hope to one day overcome my nervousness and be able to communicate what's on my mind and what I want to do. 

I think one of the best memories in my four days of being here is thinking I was stuck in the elevator. This particular day and time reminded me of a scary movie that I never wanted to remember again. It was our first lunch beak, and we were excited to head out. As we got into the elevator, it took us to the first floor really fast and landed abruptly. Everyone looked shaken. Then it started moving back up towards the 20th floor. After the doors opened and closed, it took us back to the first floor. By this point, I was thinking we were stuck because there was a long pause before the door opened again. 

Overall, I have had a good experience and would like to keep moving forward with it.