Life is full of battles. There were series of battles that I faced when I moved to the United States in defiance of my physical disability. My battles were to master English and excel academically. Numerous times I was defeated, but yet, still I persist. My family and I moved from Indonesia to the United States in July 2010. Since I came to this country, my goal was to speak English fluently. I learned the basics of the English in Indonesia before moving here, but it still did not prepare me when I enrolled in a local middle school. Due to my physical disability, I did not have the courage to talk to my classmates nor teachers; I was afraid of being ridiculed. However, my teachers insisted me daily to speak with my classmates in order to practice …show more content…
This is the reason why I had a long enduring battle to be able to speak a new language and unstable academic performance throughout my college career. During Spring Quarter of 2017, I had the opportunity to volunteer in a program called Conversation Partner Program through my diversity study class. In this program, I conversed with my partner, who was new in the United States, on a weekly basis. Each week, we talked about our cultures, interests, and hobbies. As this program helped my partner practice English, it also helped me gain self-esteem and confidence to express myself openly about what my academic and personal challenges were to the people who know me best. [In the summer and fall 2016, I was able to excel in my classes again because I was enjoyed the classes that I took, in addition to the help that I received. During fall quarter of 2016, I began my first computer science class, and was thoroughly interested in the subject. Although it was disappointing to repeat my English course, my second English course had provided me a new perspective to achieve better grade than previously. Despite the fact that I had to repeat my second computer class in Spring 2017, I was quicker to learn, manage my time, and present all of my course work clearly to excel in the