“I was my high school’s mascot all four years. We were the Panthers. Besides it being really hot wearing the suit, it was awesome. People knew my name but they didn’t know my face. When I had the suit on, no one knew who I was so I could be crazy.

“It worked out well because I’m not really a people person. It’s just how I grew up. I didn’t have many friends. I still don’t have many friends. I don’t talk to people that much. Just a fear, I guess.

“My favorite memory of being the mascot was this parade where I got to see all the children and their smiles. That’s what made me really enjoy it, all those smiles.

“Then in my senior year, I worked at the elementary school library where I got sort of used to the children and their parents. I’m OK with that. But other situations, not so much. I’m still working on getting out of my shell.”

— Sydney Rexroat

The post Future teacher trying to break out of her shell appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’m 6-3. With the hair, I guess I look a little taller. Our family is pretty tall. My dad is like 6-2. My granddad is about 6-3. My other granddad is pretty tall as well. So I knew I’d be tall, but I didn’t think I’d have already outgrown most of my family by age 15.”

What are some good things about being tall?
“I play basketball, so it really helps with that. I also play water polo and I’m in the orchestra, where I play the upright bass. It’s a pretty big instrument, so normally the taller and bigger people play it. It’s pretty cool.”

Standing out is something he has become used to, as family matters have taken him across the country and made him the new kid on the block several times.

“I was born in Las Vegas and then right after that we moved to Los Angeles, where my sister was born. Then we moved down to Alabama for a couple of years. After our parents got divorced, we went with my mom and moved to Texas where she remarried. We’ve been here now for about five years. It’s been neat, though, living in so many different places.

“I’d say the biggest challenge has been making new friends. A lot of the people I’ve met have known each other since kindergarten or first grade. You come into a new school and you meet people who have already been friends forever, so you experience being a new kid several times. I’ve been able to adjust, though.

“I used to be really shy and not super talkative, but I started opening up more. I learned that it’s easier to make more friends when you put forth the effort to talk to more people.”

— Cyrus Acres

The post He leaves shyness behind to make new friends appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I stopped working to be at home with my son, so this is my first job in eight years.

“I found that spending so much time at home, I didn’t really know how to talk to people anymore. I’m naturally pretty quiet and shy, so I’ve had to work at interacting with the customers.

“It’s weird because my husband is the total opposite of me. He’s really outgoing and can talk to anybody, anywhere. I guess we balance each other out.”

Related:

• He’s working hard to keep those bills paid

The post She has to relearn how to interact with people appeared first on The Baytown Project.