Hours and hours of hard work, but you have to continue; you’re so far in. Even if you wanted to quit you couldn’t. There's no going back now. Imagine doing it all alone too. Wow. That would be torture to me. Well this torturous event is what my grandpa had to go through day after night, over and over again for six months. This just screams bravery. 

        Bravery takes a lot of courage, and yes, it is hard, but everyone has it in them. Maybe some people have it more than others, or maybe they just need to dig deeper and find their true self. As mentioned before, my grandpa had to do this, and you may ask how, why, and what did he even do? Well, he was a very smart and devoted farm boy. He had dreams that he thought he could never accomplish because of money. He didn’t even know where to start. But once he got the chance to make his dreams possible he had to take it, no matter how hard he would have to work for it. 

        My grandpa was born and raised in Thailand with big dreams to go to a good college in America. Having only enough money to put food on the table is really hard. It makes your dreams seem impossible, but nothing is impossible. When you are brave enough to reach your limits, push through, especially if you're not scared of failing. 

        When my grandpa was 16 he received news that all the dreams he thought were impossible could come true. On a fair day a soldier from the US needed help with directions. My grandpa went out of his way to help him out. After helping him, they got close as friends. After a while the soldier told him that he could have a spot in a college in America, but the only thing is, he had to find a way to get there. Thailand is located in the heart of Southeast Asia and is about a 24 hour plane ride to get there. He didn’t have a lot of money though. But after a lot of hard decisions he decided that he was going to bike across the world.

        Biking has always been my grandpa’s hobby, so he was pretty experienced. He started training right away, just biking day after day, getting ready for the big trip. He planned to leave on his 21st birthday. After a lot of competitions, he won a really good bike, the perfect bike to go across the world with. 

        On his 21st birthday my grandpa was ready. He had not planned on where to sleep or anything. He just had to go for it.

        After a while people started to recognize what he was doing, and they wrote about him in newspapers to spread the word. People did hear about him and were willing to help him out.

        On his journey he faced multiple challenges. A challenge that he constantly faced was the weather. Back then there wasn’t any technology; he wouldn’t know if there was a storm coming his way. If the storm rained it would delay his trip, and he could not have a stable shelter nearby. Another constant challenge was about direction; sometimes the map wouldn’t have detailed roads. Oftentimes he talked to the locals who were willing to help out. One of the strangers who helped him with the directions in Switzerland became good friends with him still to this day. 

        He started his journey from central Thailand and biked south. Once he was in Malaysia he took a boat to India. From there he biked to Europe and so on until he arrived in Holland. He stayed in Holland for a few weeks, making some money for another boat. Since he was a hard worker and was well loved, a lot of families donated money too, and that was enough to get a plane ticket from Holland to New York City.

        My grandpa spent six years after his first arrival on October 9, 1969. He graduated from San Jose State University. He worked for money to pay it off (himself); it took him 6 years to complete his undergraduate and master's degrees.

        He then went back to Thailand by plane and started working as a professor at a university. After a couple of years he returned to the U.S, this time by plane. He completed his Ph.d from Ohio State University and returned to teach at the university. He worked there until he retired a few years ago. He held high administrative positions including a dean and university vice president. He is now an influence for many young people including my mom and myself. 

        My grandpa had this saying:  “Thinking without action is nothing, action without thinking is a waste of time, but thinking with action, you could accomplish anything.” I really do live by those words. But thinking back to that saying, there should be one more thing you need to do. You need to be brave, because when you're brave you can overcome anything. 

-Talize Z. 

        The bus bumps across the road, wheels bouncing over rocks and pebbles. Gradually, it stops, and the doors ease open with a squeak. A man climbs on board. Only his eyes are visible, a black cloth covering the rest of his face. He asks for Malala Yousafzai. That is you. Everyone looks your way, giving away your identity. In a quick motion, he pulls out something from his pocket, and the last thing you hear are gunshots.

        This is what happened to Malala Yousafzai. She was shot in the head and neck by someone from the Taliban because of what she believed. She believed that girls should be able to go to school and get a good education, but the Taliban thought otherwise. Malala recovered from the incident, but she didn’t stop. She kept on going. She gave speeches, spread her belief, and fought, not with violence, but with words. Malala persevered, and her hard work paid off. 

        Perseverance is something that can be difficult to do because it means not giving up and pushing yourself to keep on trying until you reach success. But perseverance is not just trying; you have to keep on going and pursuing your goals no matter what obstacles are thrown your way or what challenges you might face. Perseverance is an important trait to have because people who persevere and go after their goals always find their road to success, no matter how long it takes or what circumstances fall in their path. Anyone who wants to achieve something can’t do it without perseverance. Malala Yousafzai was successful because she used this trait. Malala faced many hardships and obstacles in her journey, but she persisted and persevered, and it led to her success. 

        Malala Yousafzai lived in Pakistan, and her town was taken over by a group of terrorists called the Taliban. The Taliban believed that girls shouldn’t get a chance to get an education, but Malala thought otherwise. Malala wanted to go to school, and she wanted other girls to get a chance to get an education as well. Malala’s father was a teacher, and everyday she went to school along a different path to avoid the Taliban. When Malala got older, she fought. She protested, gave speeches, shared her belief with other people who thought the same and others who thought different, and she did whatever it took to get to her goal. But it wouldn’t be that easy. It started when Malala was riding on a bus. There was nothing abnormal about this day; it was just like the others. The bus eased to a stop, and the doors squeaked open. A man came on board. Only his eyes were visible, a black cloth wrapped around the rest of his face. He asked for Malala Yousafzai.  Then he pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot Malala in the head and neck. Malala was rushed to multiple hospitals where, thankfully, she was saved. After the incident, Malala didn’t back down. She continued her journey. Malala gave speeches, went to campaigns, and shared information about what her life was like under Taliban rule. Malala also started the Malala Charity Fund to help build schools. 

        Malala Yousafzai was faced with a challenge, and she rose to meet it, not with anger or resentment or any thought of violence, but with courage, determination, and persistence. She went after her dream and made it into reality. But Malala wouldn’t have gotten as far as she is now without one thing. Perseverance. Malala persevered through her journey, and that’s what got her where she is now. Malala got shot two times because she believed that girls should be able to go to school. After she recovered, she didn’t back down. Malala gave speeches, went to campaigns, shared her story, and started a charity fund. Malala knew that she wasn’t alone in her journey. She knows and acknowledges that other people have been in similar situations like hers, and that people all around the world agree with her opinions and ideas. If she had backed down, she wouldn’t be where she is now. Over 10 million girls around the world have a chance for education because of all of Malala’s efforts. Because of Malala’s effort, determination, courage, and perseverance, she reached the accomplishment of success.

        Perseverance is something that can be difficult to do, but Malala Yousafzai did it. She let nothing get in the way of her goal, which was to give girls the opportunity to have an education. When Malala got shot two times, she didn't even let that stop her. She was determined to achieve her goal. Malala persevered, and her hard work paid off. Perseverance is something important that we all need in our lives. You won’t breeze past life, no one has, or ever will; life is not like that. You need to know how to overcome challenges, go after your goals, and persevere. You only live once, so it's up to you.

-Mili P. 

        Have you ever been scared or nervous before a presentation, and your hands get super sweaty, and your face gets red and you get mad at yourself?  Have you been so scared before a presentation you just wanted to disappear so you didn’t have to do it?  I know that exact feeling you're having.  The reason we do that is because our confidence slowly disappears down deep inside of us. 

        When I was in sixth grade we had to do a presentation about something you know a lot about and like to do.  I chose to do field hockey.  Everyone had to look up lots of facts about your topic.  When field hockey started, who started it, why, and what it is.  Then I explained and talked about the rules.  After I did the rules I showed a how-to, so I did how to hit. I showed the parts of a hockey stick and what you would use each part for.  We worked on these for close to a month.  By the time it was my turn I was so nervous everyone told me I looked like a red hot tomato. 

        When I first went up there to do my presentation I could barely hold it together.  At one point I just wanted to tell my teacher I couldn’t do it and quit. My friends could tell I was nervous, so they told me that I got this and no matter what happened, even if I messed up, I did a great job.  I took a deep breath and I got myself to even be able to speak. I told myself there was nothing to be scared of and just act like I’m talking to my friends. 

        The first few words were a little quiet, but then I realized that I talk to people everyday, and there is nothing different from what I’m doing now. After I started talking and getting into the flow my body became just tense and less statue looking.  My heart didn’t race 10,000 times fast, and my face became less red.  I became more confident in the words I was saying and the way I said them. Once I got into the rhythm I told myself that my friends were right and I could do this. I stood up taller and stumbled less on the words I was saying.  After the presentation I felt good about myself, and I realized that there was nothing to be scared about. I just had to be more confident in myself.

        Not many people realized this but all people who were or still are now successful had this experience when they were young, like you and me. But those people found how to use confidence in their own life just like how you will become more and more confident as you get older.  These successful people figure out that if they are confident in themselves, and in all the work they put into getting where they are now, they just had to be confident. You may think what is this person talking about? She keeps saying you just have to be confident in yourself;  I don’t even know how or what that means. 

         Everyone will have a moment in their life.  Whether this is a test coming up, you have to go on a really scary roller coaster, you have to move away to a new school, it could be anything.  And sometimes that scariness will scare you so much that you don’t even want to try to do it.  But instead of letting that take over you, you rise and confidently tell about whatever you’re doing. In other words, don’t be scared to face your fears. 

        Now when I have something important to do, when I have to speak up to lots of people, I don’t have to worry about what other people might think about if I mess up on a word.  I have confidence in my work and in the way I speak. 

        Now that I learned that if you have confidence you can do anything you want, I feel proud of myself now, and I can’t believe I was so doubtful when I was younger.  You just have to focus on the positive stuff people tell you and let the negative stuff leave your mind. Just think, yes, I can do this, instead of, I’m not sure I might be able to do that.

        Having confidence now as a young teenager can lead you into a good path for the rest of your life. It gives you more opportunities in life, to show people what you can do when you believe in yourself and the work you put in.

-Tess K.