When I was fifteen, I was given the awesome opportunity to get to work on the television show Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?. My dad works on the show and we talked to the producers and they gave me the ok to work on the show even though I was only fifteen. The whole idea seemed very exciting and adventurous to me, but reality hit me the first morning I had to wake up at 6:30AM on a summer day and report for work. What didn't help was that I was the only person at the studio younger than 20, minus the fifth graders. I suddenly doubted whether this would be a good idea or not. Should I go back home, go back to bed, and not even worry about working on the show? I decided that day that I was going to give it a try. Sure, it was different and a little scary for a shy girl like me, but what's the worst that could happen? I ended up working on the show for two weeks and even though the hours were long, I ended up loving the job. I made new friends with some very strange and interesting LA people and even was given a nickname around the set. When I got my first paycheck in the mail, I felt so proud of myself for actually sticking with the job. This summer I went back to the studio and worked the same PA job again only to find it much easier than I remembered it from before. I remembered being a scared little fifteen year old wandering around with a lopsided headset to now, a more grown up and adult version of the same girl, more confident than I ever had been in years back. I believe part of that confidence comes naturally with growing up, but a huge part of that came from doing things, like sticking with the job, that scared me to death, but made me so proud when I accomplished them. If I hadn't followed through with the job, I would have missed out on a big growing and maturing opportunity. I credit that summer to one of the greatest times of growth in my life. I believe that short two week period of my fifteen year old life has shaped much of the confidence and courage I rely on in myself today.