In the article "Leaving my Comfort Zone," I whole heartedly cannot relate to the protective upbringing of your parents because I grewup being taught to learn from the indpendent struggles. I can completely relate to the anixiety attacks of doing things that you love out of your comfort zone. "I loved theatre enough to take a risk" the following line has inspired me to continue persuing my dreams, regardless of societal judgements. The analogy you used of being Cinderella among  your peers created a clear visual of how left out you felt, but you mentioning how happy being on stage is  something I am looking forward to. The struggle of finding yourself is truly something young girls can understand and relate to. Thank you, Jessica Z. for sharing your personal experience and inspiring girls like me to follow what makes me happy.