Its been 2 years.

The Personal Essay
There I was, back in middle school, spending many hours during the week on the computer playing games after finishing my homework. I had come across a game that I found to be very entertaining, which involved interaction with hundreds of thousands of people at once. Wanting to get better at the game, I would periodically search the Internet for anything to improve my “character” in the game. One day I stumbled upon a forum site: a group of people creating discussion about a common subject or idea. Although I did not know it at the time, that particular forum site would help me achieve much more than higher levels on an online videogame.
Growing up, I was a very shy and quiet kid in school and in public. At school, I was shy and had difficulties talking to people, especially adults. This community was made up of very nice people and provided an environment where I felt comfortable. After having this new found confidence online, it became more natural to talk and express myself in everyday life. I progressively became more outgoing and assertive, which made meeting friends much easier. Instead of following a single friend around, I could talk to anybody I wished, and I was able to make more friends. Adults, who I was always hesitant to speak to, felt more approachable. Whether it was asking questions in class, talking to teachers after school, or interviewing for a part-time job, I now felt more at ease.
Like many other boys my age, I was into a variety of sports, but I didn’t have many other hobbies or interests. Through my discovery of this online forum, I found something that I would quickly become interested in—computers. I was introduced to many new things about computers that I never knew existed: the parts of a computer, how they work and the programs used to operate them. This motivated me to take engineering, computer science, and two computer repair classes at school. As my knowledge about the subject grew, I found myself helping out friends and family with computer problems. I was very proud of myself when I began to be asked for computer help from my family members. Helping them with their computer difficulties was fun and it provided opportunities for me to test what I had learned in school and to actually fix something!
The two owners of the site also put out a weekly podcast, where they talked about global issues and technology news. Neither of them being from the United States, and one being a strong conservative while the other a moderate liberal, they formed a humorous and informative show with many different viewpoints. The fact that they were both from different countries other than the United States, as well as their discussions on foreign affairs, increased my awareness on global political situations. I then joined the Global Vision club at school and found it to be a good complement to what I learning about through their podcast. The two’s similarities and differences on many social and political ideas gave me insight on different sides of common issues, and helped me to form my own opinions. I enjoyed talking about the issues brought up on the show with my parents and hear how they felt about the same subjects. In these conversations I found it difficult to side with one political party all the time, as my opinions were very issue-based. Listening to the podcast made me more curious to learn about the issues in the world around me and to ask questions about about these aspects in my life.
So what started out as playing a simple game online, turned into the beginnings of my growth in social skills, learning about technology, and gaining a better appreciation of the world and the politics that are involved.