Sam Reeder
Fear Within Opportunity
I began my first year of Mountain School afraid. I had previously been in an environment that was constrained and limited my ability to be free as myself. I was punished for needing to miss school for state and regional gymnastics competitions and the material I was learning felt generic and meaningless. I had been stripped of the opportunities that should be available to a regular 15-year-old. It became difficult to correctly balance academics and athletics.
So walking into the Mountain School on my first day of the 10th grade brought me fear. Fear that I would still be held in the same constraints I had been held in all those years prior. But I was wrong. As I continued school into the fall, winter, and spring, I realized that the fear I once had was pointless. I was now in an environment where I felt supported and cared for. I could pursue my passions without punishment and even be congratulated for them. I was finally in a world of opportunity, academically and recreationally, and I wanted that forever.
I refer to this concept of opportunity for many reasons. I partook in a number of classes and activities that would not have been possible without the help from the Mountain School, and I am forever grateful for that. In the winter of my junior year, I was given the opportunity to travel to the Philippines with a team of surgeons for a medical mission trip. I was only 17 at the time, but I volunteered in a setting where normally only 3rd-year doctors in training would be able to complete. At first, I believed that MTN school would not let me go due to the fact that I would have to miss two weeks of school in one of the most academically rigorous years of my life. But instead of shooting my idea away, I was encouraged to take the opportunity that was in front of me. I was provided the support to both complete school and travel to a country where I could participate in a trip that would change my life forever. I remember feeling a similar fear when I first began my journey across the world. Except for this time, it was not a deep-rooted fear like the one I felt when I first started school. It was a fear I actually enjoyed. Linked with opportunity and success. It was a fear that I wanted to relive forever. This was an opportunity that I never thought would be possible in my lifetime, let alone as a high school student.
But the opportunities I encountered did not stop there. This fall, as a part of my IB English class, students were asked to write a 10-minute speech called an FOA or further oral activity. My mind was immediately flooded with ideas to write about. But none of them seemed to satisfy my desire to write something meaningful. It wasn’t until two days before I was supposed to give my speech when I sparked an idea. In my life, I have always been passionate about women's rights, and coming off of a unit of Michelle Obama's speeches inspired me to take my stance on women's issues and present them to the class. I knew the topic I wanted to write about was difficult to address and sometimes too mature for high school students. But I felt that within the safety of my class and the support from my teachers, I could write something meaningful. It was an opportunity I needed to take advantage of. I then began writing about my fear as a woman growing up in a world where life is not equal. Where I do not always feel safe on my own and the opportunities that are given to a man are sometimes nowhere near the opportunities that will be given to me as a woman. I referenced topics such as sexual assault and cases of these matters that were actually brought to the supreme court. I referenced the vulgar and inappropriate comments that came verbatim out of the mouth of our president; all the while trying to mimic the same intensity and inspiration that Michelle Obama uses when she delivers a speech. In a typical high school, I may not have had the opportunity to take a class such as this and get to write a speech about something so intense as present-day women's issues. But that is the beauty of the school I attend. I am able to speak my mind and write about controversial topics because it is something I am passionate about and it is something that I am supported in. Now as I look back on my three years at Mountain School, I can say confidently that I experienced more than I could have ever imagined. I faced fears and learned how to deal with situations head-on. I was given opportunities that shaped me to be who I am today, and I am eternally grateful for that.
Click here to read my FOA
