I was never a topper.
I was never a failure either.
I lived somewhere in the “decent marks zone” — the middle child of academia. Not loud enough to be noticed, not quiet enough to be forgotten.

But if you asked me what I really lacked during my school days, it wasn’t grades — it was confidence.

School Days: A Silent Dream

I studied in a CBSE school in a small town in Uttar Pradesh — a mix of Hindi and English medium.
Back then, English was intimidating. Confidence? Even more so.

I remember wanting to become the class monitor — I really did.
But the fear of:

• handling a noisy classroom,
• standing in front of teachers,
• and the possibility of being told off by the principal…

…was enough to make me never raise my hand.

So I stayed silent.
Dreams don’t die in silence — but they sure slow down.

College Life: The Turning Point

Even in the first year of college, I was the same.
Low confidence. Soft-spoken. Watching others take the lead.

But something shifted in my 3rd semester.

Maybe I got tired of being afraid.
Maybe I just wanted to challenge myself.

So I did something I had never done before:
I raised my hand — and volunteered to become the Class Representative (CR).

And to my surprise… I got selected.
And to my even bigger surprise… I turned out to be good at it.

Being CR meant:

• talking to teachers confidently,
• solving class issues,
• managing between students and faculty.

And I did it all.
People say, “Once a good CR, always a CR” — and that turned out to be true.

More importantly, I felt confident for the first time.

Speaking English Was Another Battle

Coming from a small town, spoken English was a fear of its own.
I always had this question in my mind:
“How will I get a job if I can’t speak fluent English?”

But again — friends helped. I started speaking.
Started making mistakes.
Started learning.

And slowly, English stopped being scary.

Where Am I Today?

Today, I work as a Software Engineer.

I speak in English every day — on calls, in meetings, with clients, and colleagues.
The same voice that once trembled in front of teachers… now presents confidently in stand-ups.

 What I’ve Learned?

• You don’t have to be a topper to make it.
• You don’t have to be fearless to begin.
• All you need is one moment of courage — like raising your hand.

So if you’re someone who’s doubting yourself — in school, college, or corporate:

Raise your hand. Take the shot.
It might just change your life.

Thanks for reading! If this story connected with you in any way, feel free to share your own journey in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

This is just one part of my journey — one story among many. I’ve had other turning points too — some funny, some challenging, all full of lessons. I’ll be sharing those in future blog posts. Stay tuned!