As I stood on the stage, I was struck with grief because I thought the hard part was over. At that moment, the faculty student council moderator announced the winner for the Sophomore Class President, and her words completely betrayed what I had expected to hear for so long.

Unfortunately, my overconfidence of winning led me to a deeper heartache. My face held an emotionless expression as I absorbed my scattered thoughts. Right then and there, I had to quickly decide in my state of shock after losing the president race if I wished to drop down into the elections for another class position. My original plan was to run for a board member position for the class, which I had held for the prior two years. But I had also contemplated stepping out of the box and running for class mascot. Nevertheless, my heart was pounding while I stood in dismay as everyone lined up with her poster for the board member elections. I was too distraught to make a sensible decision. Just as the faculty member began to continue with elections, I took my moment and declared, “Actually, I’m going to run for class mascot.”

As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, I had previously considered running for mascot if I did not win Class President, but my friend Juliana made it her mission to run for mascot and I did not want to afflict our friendship. For that reason, I never advertised the possibility of running for the position until then because I did not expect to need this alternative. But, it seemed like my one and only chance.

As I walked off stage, I heard silence and felt the aura of shock radiate throughout the room. I looked at the grey walls, the abstract curtains, and the dark carpet as I tried to focus on anything other than the people surrounding me. Everything felt as if it was happening so quickly, and I was just trying my best to take these moments in. However, the moments afterward went painfully slowly, giving me way too much time to overthink what just occurred. I felt everyone’s eyes and whispers closing in on me and absorbing the entire room. I shifted my head to catch a glance at the audience. I saw many eyes roaming and heard mumbled voices. They had every reason to discuss what just happened. Others continued to stare pitifully at me as I avoided their eyes.

I wondered what it would have been like if I had played it safe. I wondered if I had thought about my decision and had not taken that risk, I could have been spared from this jarring experience. For a moment, I wished that I wasn’t involved in the situation at all.

Although this experience was emotional and a lot to handle as a freshman in high school, I do not think I would be the person I am today if I had not taken that risk. If I had to go through this experience again to become who I am today, I would endure the stress of the situation all over again. Although I did not change overnight, this event definitely has made a mark on my life and has made me a more mature, considerate, and empathetic individual.