Ethan

"The world is not as ugly or cruel as it can seem."

By Students of NYC

January 10^th, 2025

"Growing up, I struggled with self esteem. Group work, for example. Every time, every single year they would say: find a partner. Find a group of three, four, even. I never got picked. Even people who didn’t have a group, they would go to another existing group, instead of working with me. I felt like, what did I do to deserve this? Do you guys not like me, just for existing? It made me think I was a bad human, a bad person. And that mindset stuck with me for a lot of my life. Sometimes it felt like I wasn’t worthy of someone’s respect or love, or that even one mistake would cause people to lose faith or trust in me. I think that’s why I hold myself to such a high standard, academically and morally. And why whenever I do something wrong, I really beat myself up.

I was just a kid, but early on, I found a type of love and support from the adults in my elementary school. My teachers looked out for me — my guidance counselor and school psychologist especially. They had lunch with me every week. It gets me emotional, now, just thinking of all they did to support me. You know what they would say? Ethan, you are capable. Ethan, you are kind and compassionate. Ethan, don’t let what other people think about you influence how you see yourself. You have so much to give the world. My family was going through tough times economically, and it was hard because I didn't have both parents. But the adults in that school, they'd help me sometimes, even with things like Christmas gifts. They’d give my family and I food when I needed it. They were there for me.

In my 10th-grade year, my father had some health issues, and people at school started to come up to me to check on me. Peers in my class. They asked me, hey, how are you doing? When that happened, I started to see things differently. It made me feel like the world is not as ugly or cruel as it can seem. A lot of people say that the world is cruel. And yes, I can see why. I know firsthand that people can be mean. They don’t have empathy. But then every time I experience something good, or read about someone doing good, I know the world can be better. In all sectors, whether you are teaching, or just a student working in a job as a kid, a parent, someone in politics — we can be good.

I’m interested in law because justice is very personal to me, as it is for a lot of people. I want to ensure that people affected by crime get the justice they deserve. Maybe I can even be a judge. It’s not that I want to have power, although I would — because people in power can have compassion. But I want to make a difference. So whether I am president, a senator, congressman, judge, social worker, teacher, counselor — I'd throw that title out the window, and say — these are people I’m talking to, and they matter. I’ve taken statistics. I like the subject. But people are not statistics. They have hopes, aspirations, dreams. I want to be able to tell that one person starving in the street — you are going to get a home. You are going to get food. Or telling that kid who felt unloved like I did, that someone loves you out there. If you don't know them yet, you will find them. People told me, you will find your people. And that I did, and I'm going to continue. I want other people, especially those who are hurting, who are feeling like no one loves them, who feel abandoned, to understand: Someone is there for you. For my future, the single most important thing that I want is for people to know that they are loved."