Homeschooled from kindergarten through seventh grade, I grew up in a predominantly Christian community that was also politically conservative. Although I understood my parents' political views and political backgrounds before then, I didn't seriously begin to consider political issues on my own until the second half of high school. Especially within the school speech and debate community, parents, judges, and coaches tended to express and sympathize more with conservative viewpoints. However, because much of the preparation for the competition focused on research and debate about current events, many of my colleagues and I found great satisfaction in reflecting on political issues and questioning modern-day political decisions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Having the freedom and space to engage in deep political conversations at a young age was definitely a privilege that I took for granted until I got to UC Berkeley. As I expected, most of the students and professors here had very different opinions than mine. Navigating such a different environment was not only challenging at first, but more importantly, it led me to reexamine my political beliefs and learn to articulate them clearly. Even then, I found that prejudices and political ideologies are extremely difficult to overcome. Especially after Trump's shocking victory in the 2016 election, the general climate among students and faculty was one of anguish and anger, and I sometimes wondered how many other students in my classes were maintaining silence for fear of retaliation and misunderstanding. Despite all the odds However, I found that friends, even those with very different views, were often courteous and quite open-minded when political topics came up in personal conversations. Through those conversations, I began to discover that sharing my opinions as a Berkeley student could have an impact, not only among my fellow students, but also among friends and acquaintances outside of Berkeley. This year I have the honor of serving as chief of staff to a student senator in UC Berkeley's student government (the Associated Students of the University of California) and have had the opportunity to discuss and share my opinions regarding the resolutions of the Senate on free speech. While being a conservative student at one of the nation's most liberal universities is not without its challenges, I am grateful for the chance to grow and strengthen my beliefs in an often hostile environment, and I am excited about future growth and opportunities in the world years to come come.