By Ava Washington
It was the first day of school at Germantown Middle School. Morghan Thompson had already been feeling nervous about how the school year would play out, but despite her worries, she knew she would have to go in the building at some point.
Thompson sat in the car, anxiously waiting for her turn to get out, her mother slowly easing up in line each time another child got out. Finally, it was time for the 11-year -old to get out of the car and walk into the school.
When her mom pulled in front of the school, Thompson opened the door, grabbed her blue Nike backpack that held all her supplies, said goodbye to her mom and headed into the school. She kept her head low and walked to class with an uneasy feeling about how the day would go.
“I walked into my English class and saw the teacher had the tables in groups. I realized I would have to sit next to people, and I immediately started getting nervous,” Thompson recalls.
After stepping into the half-filled room, she put her things down and immediately went to the restroom to gather herself. Thompson desperately wanted to hide there all day, but she knew she had to put her brave face on and go back. She figured if she could make it through the first period, the rest of the day would be a piece of cake—and it was. She sat in the group, and though it was a bit uncomfortable at first, she saw other students engaging in conversation and her worries slowly started to fade. But this would be a temporary relief.
Social Anxiety Leds to Career Path
Two years prior Thompson and her family had moved from Canton, Miss., to Gluckstadt. For more opportunities and a better school system. She didn’t want to leave her friends, but she knew she had no choice.
“When I was in Canton, I used to go outside all the time, but when we moved to Gluckstadt, I stopped, and I started to get anxious when I had to converse with others,” she says.
Thompson, now 17, is an upcoming senior at Germantown High School—and she still has some struggles with social anxiety.
Thompson feels like her social anxiety has prevented her from doing certain things, such as joining clubs and teams and making friends. She sometimes felt misunderstood and unheard; those feelings helped her realize the career path she wants to follow.
“That’s the reason I want to be a child psychologist,” Thompson reflects. “I want other kids to feel like they can talk to someone who understands them because dealing with it alone can be hard.”
Reading As Coping Mechanism
Over time, Thompson found ways to combat her social anxiety. She believes reading books became a safe space for her. “When I read, it calms my mind and puts my anxiety at ease,” she says.
Though her love for reading started as a coping mechanism, it soon became her favorite hobby. She enjoys all story genres, but she says romance novels are her favorite. “Punk 57” by Penelope Douglas is one of her favorite books, not because she relates to it but because she says the dynamic of the book was very intriguing to her.
“I like reading different types of books, but I love romantic dramas,” Thompson says. “The idea of love is very fascinating to me, so when I’m reading books pertaining to romance and a bit of drama, I’m immediately drawn in.”
Thompson says her motivation comes from herself—or more specifically, the best version of herself. Thompson wants to expand her knowledge of photography and journalism while at the Youth Media Project, hoping to improve her social skills by working on a team with like-minded people.
“I know the type of person I want to be, and I know I still have some things to work on—but that’s what pushes me to stay focused and work hard,” she concludes.
Click here to read more about Ava Washington, who wrote this piece about fellow Youth Media Project student journalist Morghan Thompson