My New Life | Layla Kim | TEDxChadwick International School
Layla Kim shares her personal story of adjusting to a new school and town after being accepted to Chadwick International School. She describes how what she thought would be the easy part after admission actually became her biggest challenge, requiring courage and persistence to overcome.
Summary
Layla Kim begins her talk by establishing that growth requires courage and stepping out of one's comfort zone. She shares her personal journey of moving to a new town and starting at Chadwick International School, which she initially thought would be easy after the difficult admission process. However, she discovered that adjusting to everything new - town, school, friends, teachers, and even her pillow - was actually more challenging than getting accepted. On her first day, she was extremely nervous, didn't know where to go for advisory, and felt like a complete stranger. She initially clung to other new students she had met during orientation and spent much of her time missing her old school and friends, constantly texting them and making comparisons. This focus on the past made her adjustment more difficult. The turning point came when she decided to take small steps toward connection - asking people their names, requesting to sit next to classmates, and reaching out during break times. Gradually, other students began reciprocating, sharing phone numbers, inviting her to lunch, and even confiding secrets in her. As she made friends and became familiar with teachers and routines, she also grew comfortable with her new town and home through daily exploration and living. She concludes by reflecting that this unexpected challenge taught her more than she anticipated about persistence and that sometimes the real challenge isn't academic achievement but continuing when you want to give up.
Key Insights
- Kim believed that getting accepted into Chadwick was the hard part and that adjusting to the new environment would be easy and take only one week
- Kim had only moved twice in her life (once at age one and once at age eight), making her inexperienced with major transitions
- Kim was so nervous on her first day that she woke up super early, spent 30 minutes picking clothes, and wore a necklace for the first time since age seven
- Kim constantly texted her old friends and compared her new school to her old one, which she now realizes made her adjustment more difficult
- Kim discovered that the real challenge isn't academic achievement like passing tests or acing interviews, but rather continuing when you want to give up and pushing through hard times
Topics
Transcript
[0:07] Nobody is born perfect. At first, we all make mistakes, face obstacles, and experience setbacks. But over time, we learn from our mistakes, overcome challenges, and grow into a better, stronger, and wiser person. Challenges are what really shapes your future. They help you grow regardless of your age. And the possibilities are endless in how they shape you into a better you than yesterday. [0:38] However, growth always requires courage. If you just stay in your comfort zone instead of trying new things, if you always second guessess yourself, you might never have the chance to grow. You might never discover what you're really capable of. And that's why you have to take a brave step forward to…
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