My Most Difficult Assignment

            I would have to say my hardest assignment was also my longest. First semester senior year I wrote a 70-page research paper on child marriage specific to Nepal for my Voices of Human Rights class. The project was a full semester’s worth of work. In the beginning, it wasn’t as hard because I was just starting with outlines and my research, so finding sources was simple. It became hard once I turned in my first part for criticism. There were 2 teachers for the course, so both of them looked over the paper. The first review was my wakeup call that this was going to be one difficult ride. I received so much criticism, and from the both of them. The topic was also difficult to study because I wasn’t aware of how prevalent child marriage was, especially in the United States. As time went on the due dates for each section became hard to keep up with and I fell behind at some points. I was also taking other classes at this point, so it was very hard to balance it all. I ended up focusing only on Voices of Human Rights and not on my other classes, but that didn’t lighten the load that much. The paper wasn’t the only part of the project. We also had to do a formal presentation in front of a panel. I had actually switched from being in a group to working on my own, so when it came time to work on the presentation and practice in front of the teachers I had to do it all on my own. The plus side was that it would go quicker, and I didn’t have as many issues because I know how to present, but I also had to go through the same amount of practice rounds as them. On the day to present, I took an hour, and talking for a full hour straight was not easy.

            By the middle of the semester I was able to sort of balance the work load and hit my deadlines, but it came with a lot of long nights. I met with my teachers more often for help and asked for extensions when I needed to. I spent more time working on homework than working on campaigns, and I focused all of my effort on doing my best work the first time around. I gave my best effort instead of doing minimal effort and then getting awful reviews.

            What I’ve learned from this experience is that in the end, it all pays off only if I know I’ve worked my hardest. I’ve also learned to ask for help instead of trying, and failing to do it all on my own.