I stared blankly at my teacher, wondering if I had heard her right. As she repeated the homework assignment, I realized I had. My gaze shifted from my teacher to my classmates to see if any of them had the same reaction I did, but everyone else seemed perfectly fine with the assignment. We had been told to describe what a terrorist looks like, and to bring in a picture of someone we thought fit the physical description of a terrorist.

The idea of stereotyping a group of people for homework left me feeling uncomfortable and conflicted, to say the least. On one hand, I respected the teacher and knew she had good intentions with the assignment; but, on the other hand, I disagreed with the way she presented the project. I actively fight against discrimination through many of my extracurricular activities, so completing this assignment would be inconsistent with who I am as an individual. Yet not completing it would be inconsistent with who I am as a student, so I knew I had to find the middle ground.

At the time, I was a quiet student and did not actively participate in class because I felt insecure about my lisp. I avoided public speaking, so the idea of having an atypical point of view was quite daunting. After careful consideration, I decided to use an ambiguous outline of a person with a question mark where the face would be. While I did not do what my teacher had asked, I still completed the assignment.

As we rearranged our desks to form a circle for discussion, I second-guessed myself. Everyone else had a picture of Osama bin Laden or someone with a similar physical description. When my teacher asked about my picture, I nervously told her that I thought a terrorist could be anyone, so it was impossible to come up with a profile. I breathed a sigh of relief when she smiled in approval.

While this experience may seem trivial, it has had a permanent effect on my attitude toward class discussions. Instead of deliberately avoiding eye contact with teachers during class and being hesitant to share my views if I disagree with the majority, I am now more comfortable expressing my opinions. The positive response I received after taking a unique perspective gave me the confidence I needed to come out of my shell and take risks, which led to me becoming more engaged and involved in discussions.

Obviously a homework assignment worth ten points is not a life-threatening risk to take, but I am proud that I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone. This experience helped me realize that taking risks is a necessity for success, which will make me more inclined to speak out and stand my ground when faced with ethical dilemmas.