The confidence I built as a result of Mr. D. and theater carried over into my everyday life. Mr. D. always told me not to be afraid to do what I want to do. As long as I did what made me happy then others would accept me for who I was. Mr. D. lived these words. Following suit, I decided to try out for the cheer team in eleventh grade as my school’s first ever male cheerleader. Absolutely no one expected this formerly shy, quiet, awkward kid would ever want to join the cheer team. Amazingly, with no former cheer experience, I made the team, and mostly to my surprise, no one made fun of me for it. Mr. D. turned out to be right. I did what I wanted to do, and not only did others accept me for it, but they gave me a new level of respect as well.
