I sat at my desk and felt a familiar sense of anxiety and frustration fill me. It was the first Quiz Bowl match of my last season; even as a four-year member, I couldn’t shake my nerves. Worst of all, one could say, competitive academic trivia isn’t my thing. I have no natural inclination towards memorizing vast amounts of information or knowledge tidbits. 

Yet, I haven’t genuinely considered quitting. Every season, with every frustration or round of stress, I’m challenging myself and learning in a way that other activities don’t replicate. I’ve been able to find a different value in my commitment to something I’m not inherently great at.

It’s also not often that we naturally enjoy things we don’t excel in, and Quiz Bowl definitely is not the only example of this throughout my life. 

When I was younger, I thought it would be marvelous to master the guitar. Thus, when my parents asked me and my two siblings to pick an instrument to learn, I rallied for the guitar, convincing the deciding vote onto my side.

It wasn’t too long into our practices, however, that I dreaded those afternoon sessions. It hurt my small hands and I had no interest in being able to play the classical songs we were learning. It was safe to say that I had not imagined this when thinking about playing the guitar. I had imagined knowing all the chords to my favorite songs and playing them effortlessly while singing along.

When it didn’t come to me that easily, my motivation drained. Then, when my family moved and the classes stopped, I regarded guitar as a dream left behind. Until this year!