The Shy Girl As long as I can remember, I was naturally quiet and shy. I constantly told myself why people couldn't hear me the first time. Even then, I rarely made eye contact with others. When I started high school, nothing changed. Soon after, I didn't like the way my classmates thought of me. If someone had to make an announcement in class, I didn't get picked; my classmates believed I wasn't outspoken enough. If someone threw a party, I wasn't invited because they thought "shy girls" wouldn't be born. Most of my classmates attracted a lot of attention. No one willingly associated with me. Not only did my classmates see me as quiet and shy, they also made me start to believe it. I was ashamed, I wanted a way out. I wanted my words to stick with people. I wanted them to think, "Louisa said..." I tried to participate more in classes and share my opinions, but that didn't help. Every time I made a comment, one of two things happened: I either didn't receive credit for my comment, or no one took me seriously. I felt helpless. The production of The Tempest in eighth grade changed my life. My teacher, Mrs. Massand, gave me a part in the show and I no longer appeared quiet and shy. Although Mrs. Massand had given the whole class a part in the play, she gave me, Stephano, the drunk, the leading role. His choice surprised me and my classmates. Stephano's character seemed so different from mine; it was loud and silly. My first thought was, “How is a quiet girl like me going to play the part of a rowdy drunk?” Until now, my classmates convinced me that I was simply quiet and shy. Now the show required me to show another side of myself. We began the show by reading the text aloud and getting comfortable with the scene...in the center of the paper...where I was marching around a circle shouting, "Ban, ban, Ca-Caliban!" At the end of the show the audience burst into applause. Then Mrs. Massand had us bow individually. When it was my turn to bow, the audience gave me a standing ovation. I have never been so excited. When I walked off stage, almost every classmate stopped me to say, “Wow Louisa, you were the best!” That's when I realized I could be strong, silly and talented. My sixth grade performance in The Tempest made my last years of high school a success; acting and reciting Stephano's words made my growth in confidence possible. What I once thought was an eternal label of shyness turned out to be removable after all. My classmates saw another side of me and I was happy to no longer be labeled as a quiet and shy girl. That year I went in like a lamb and went out like a lion.