Sit Down and Shut Up

I was the chattiest, most outgoing child of all time. My parents would always tell people that I could make friends with a wall if I really tried. Most people think being outgoing and talkative is a good thing, but the more school I went to, the more I learned that it wasn’t always a good thing.

I’m sure plenty of people remember in elementary and middle school when a teacher would send a kid to the back of the room because they talked too much, that was me. By the time high school came around it was practically beaten into me to sit down and shut up. Not participating unless forced, not talking to friends; it was misery.

The first week of college nobody was participating in class, and I was itching to speak up, so I did. I felt like I could express my own personality without being judged. After practically 12 years of suppressing who I was, I found that I could finally express myself. My creativity has begun to grow in many ways, but I think the reason it has finally bloomed again is because I have a chance to be true to my own self.

By: Mia Breitenbach

Year: Sophomore

Major: Strategic Communication

Hometown: Denver, Colorado

Fun Fact: I can pick up almost anything with my feet.