Growing up around a massive family, KJ learned many valuable lessons on dealing with various personalities. Her parents would remind her that kindness should be reciprocated. As she grew up, she became a determined and studious person. Between rowing and being a full time student, her abilities were constantly being measured by scores. This impacted her confidence greatly at times. During a timed trial in rowing, KJ trained hard, long and even changed her eating habits in hopes of coming out with a good time. She described these preparations as a stressful time for even the best of rowers. After her weeks of preparation, she had pushed her body so much that her legs had gone numb halfway through the course. After so much effort to ensure a profound result, she felt it was unnecessary to try. Yet, she didn't quit and she simply applied such measures to her academics instead of athletics. Pre-Calculus class with Mr.Reddy (at Science Leadership Academy) is described as one of the most rigorous courses offered, if not the most rigorous ever. It is the class every student dreads but there is a general consensus that is more beneficial than it is frightening. KJ recalled one of her most shocking and confidence boosting moments was when tutoring and preparation earned her straight 5/5 on a set of math standards. Earning those scores made her realize that feeling both comfortable and uncomfortable in certain situations was okay. It is how you take that energy and turn it into incentive. During our interview, KJ defined confidence as : the ability to feel comfortable not loving every aspect or characteristic but respecting yourself, nonetheless. She spoke on how it was relevant and important to never let negative affirmations affect one's personal perception. She was persistent with the notion that everyone should actively strive towards being more self assured, regardless of the obstacles, because everyone is ignorant to their own potential and abilities at times. KJ reflected on how her own self assurance wavers in her everyday life. She described how being around many strong, beautiful fellow African-American peers caused her to second guess her own beauty. But with daily affirmations, she learned that while she did not wear makeup or dress similarly, it was okay. Their unique beauty should not define how she perceived herself in her own skin, because hers was unique as well. Just as others impacted her self perception, she mentioned how our dialogue allowed her to reflect on how she could do more for others. She gave an example of someone who may not normally wear makeup or dress a specific way, if she were to overly compliment them on such a change that person may not become more self assured as one would believe. Instead, the state in which they were comfortable may change to please others, becoming less self assured and more focused on outside perception. The dialogue allowed KJ to actively think about how her confidence matters and is relative to everyday situations. Such as the example she presented. Knowing KJ for close to four years, she is someone who is outspoken, proud and fiercely intelligent. She never falters or wavers her beliefs for the sake of other's approval. Having this dialogue with her allowed me to see a different side of her. The amazing part of this process is not just reflecting her own words and story, but being able to have a deeper understanding of what really makes up the person I talk to everyday.