When you look at Branden (L-ah-brow-ski),18, you automatically notice his infectious personality and the pep in his step. The more you are around him, the more you sense his passion for writing, his way with words, and his overall confidence.
What you may not know about Branden is all of the internal conflicts he battles everyday. When he rolls out of bed in the morning and looks in the mirror, Labarowski doesn't see the confidence that the rest of us see, but rather a self conscious, and very confused young man.
A self-proclaimed "geek" in grade school, Labarowski wanted a different image when he moved from a class of 12 to a class of 8-hundred in the start of his high school career. "I found myself looking at different Facebook pages of people that I wanted to be like and studied what they would post and what kind of pictures they would upload," says Labarowski, "[In high school] I found myself acting more passive-aggressive and expecting people to approach me."
He also has doubts about his future. He feels pressured into trying to please everyone about his career plans. Because his first love is news writing, he feels that success will be hard in "a world where everyone says press is dying," he explains. He expresses his concerns of how he thinks he isn't enough of a leader or that he isn't doing enough or doing anything right in college.
Although when asked if he would change anything in his high school years, Labarowski quickly denied. "Here in this college environment, I feel more ready than ever to get more involved, meet new people, and become more comfortable in my own skin. And I already feel I have made more leaps and bounds to doing that."
Branden Labarowski, like the rest of us, is by no means perfect; but it goes to show you that even the most confident appearance has its issues as well.
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