Lloyd Mensah
East Orange STEM Academy
East Orange, New Jersey
This summer, the best thing that happened to me was my trip to Spain, where I gained many meaningful relationships. While traveling through the beautiful cities of Madrid, Bilbao, and Vitoria, and even France, I got to know families, scholars, guides, and my group leader. It allowed me to discover that the most valuable part of friendship is the ability to learn from one another, and I did just that. I improved my Spanish, explored the history of Spain, and picked up life skills that led me to grow. I learned to be confident, to be myself, and to live with purpose.
Confidence shapes nearly everything we do, and I saw how it could change my own experience. As my journey began I was extremely nervous, it almost led to me being that “awkward kid on the side”. Then a group member approached me, filled with interest and enthusiasm towards us all. From there, we became friends and she mentioned she was also nervous but chose to step outside of her comfort zone. That moment showed me that being uncomfortable is not a weakness, it’s an opportunity to be courageous. Another member lived by the saying “YOLO,” and it reminded me not to get caught up in small worries, but to enjoy life fully. That taught me that confidence isn’t about pretending to be fearless, it’s about choosing to act even when you’re afraid.
I also learned the importance of decision-making and being true to myself. Many young people, including myself, struggle with making independent decisions or following the crowd because it’s easier but from that, we limit ourselves. I was constantly called out by my roommates in private because there were many times I made the wrong decisions. This taught me to own my decisions and learn from my mistakes. Aside from decision-making, SDC has encouraged me to reflect deeply on who I am, starting from the application process to now. I’ve been able to uncover a lot about myself and as to what makes me unique.
This trip reminded me that we all have a purpose in life and that we always have a why. At first, I thought I was in Spain to simply have fun, relax, and explore. But I quickly realized my experience was bigger than me. As an SDC participant, I represented my school, my community, and my family. I was there to learn and bring back what I’ve learned to my community. Then it came to my attention that you go through experiences so that others can learn from it. The homestay families showed me what true generosity was. They gave so much love and care, volunteered their time, efforts, just to give strangers an opportunity to learn from their daily experiences the easy way. My host mom taught me the basics of swimming, I went to the gym with some of the other host families, we celebrated birthdays where I learned you get to pull the ear of the birthday boy or girl of their new age, we learned to play traditional sports of the Basque country such as Pelota, strength sports such as Sokatira, Lasto altxatzea, Txinga eramatea, played basketball and soccer with local kids, and more. None of this was required of them, yet they did it freely. I want to be a person to give back to the community, do more than expected, show love and care, as what was done for me. I believe that’s my purpose.
This summer changed me. It increased my desire to continue to grow, to step outside of my comfort zone, and to approach life with confidence and curiosity. I am forever grateful for this opportunity. It reminded me to show unconditional love and care even when it can’t be reciprocated back. I now have the confidence to take risks, independence to make my own decisions, openness to learning from others, and the drive to give back to my community. I am forever grateful. Thank you.
