The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

A toxic smell rushed through my nose as I groaned in pain. I rubbed my eyes to wake myself up and as soon as they opened, all I could see was white smoke seeping through the hotel room. My teammates frantically searched around to find the source of the smoke while I panicked due to the piercing sound of the fire alarm and unbreathable air.

Since we didn’t know the origin of the smoke, we thought there was a huge fire in the hallway outside of our room. Thus, we did not dare open the door and we kept our windows locked. We were trapped. As the smoke filled the room, it irritated my nose and throat, making it unbearable to breathe.

Our boat was spending the night togethe...