When I was in lower school, I was always the shy and quiet girl in class. Every teacher and parent knew how shy I was. Every year I received teacher’s evaluation from school, I got nothing but “shy and very quiet” or “speak more”. Because of my introverted personality, I never spoke up or expressed any of my opinion in class or in groups. Not because I had nothing to say, but because I was not very confident so I did not want the extra attention from people. I felt it was unnecessary for me to contribute anything to the group and it is fine without my voice so I would never say a word unless my classmates talked to me specifically. I was a typical out-group that time. My relationship with leaders and teammates was never bad because my shyness has made me an easy-going person. I basically went along everything they wanted to do. However, nobody really knew who I really was as a friend, a classmate, or a group mate that time because I never talked much or spoke much about anything.
My personality evolved as I grew older and more mature. I started engaging more with people in the groups and knowing that sometimes it is necessary to speak up. I became more out-going since I am constantly moving from places to places; approaching and meeting new people a lot made me more of an out-going person. I attended a really small high school with an average of 8 students in one class. Thus, there were a lot of group activities and group projects. And I found myself engaging more and more and took part of the team effort compare to myself when I was way younger. Such tiny class size and our school’s academic system have shaped me more into a more active person when it comes to groups and a class as a whole. I even found it easier to speak up and was easier to have closer relationships with the leaders or the teachers. And now, as a more grown-up person, I think I am even more talkative and willing to participate everything whether it is a formal group meeting, or just a casual event without feeling uncomfortable. This is how I have come to realize that I have shifted from out-group to in-group.