Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

With faltering legs, I stumbled to the upper deck. The very thought of diving filled me with paralyzing anxiety; I dreaded the blue and the uncertainty of what lied beneath it. Yet here I was, with a gigantic tank hunching my back and a scuba mask blurring my vision. As I stared at the wide expanse of the ocean, what clicked to me was that this fear was familiar. In fact, I realized, that it had been my companion through a major phase of my life.

Since I was young, I feared taking up challenges. Fuelled by my relatives’ expectations that I would replicate the success my parents had, I began to feel that succeeding in everything I attempt was an obligation. Consequently, I feared trying anything new and spent time studying to make grades an assuran...