Fraught with Fears
Christina
My heart was pulsing rapidly within my chest and my clammy hands were trembling by my sides. Deep within my mind, I knew that I was thoroughly prepared, but I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. What if I stutter? What if I forget? What if I run out of time? All of these uncertainties, these “what ifs,” formed a haze within my brain that intimidated me far more than the staring, well no, glaring, panel of judges. Most importantly, I wondered what if I don’t win? After all, I had spent almost an entire year preparing for this moment: the annual Global Stock Pitch Competition in New York City.
My partner Lauryn and I had been preparing for this competition for months, and it all started with selecting a publicly traded stock on the U.S. Stock Exchange.
In fact, I clearly remember our conversation from that day: “What stock should we pick? A pharmaceutical company? An oil company? What about a retail company?”
Going back and forth, we weighed and debated our options like a tug-a-war, full of give and takes. After days, if not weeks, of sheer frustration and indecisiveness, we finally settled on The Trade Desk, a relatively unknown tech company that had just debuted on the stock market approximately a year earlier. And for a brief moment, we saw a glimmer of hope that perhaps our preparation and journey towards the competition day wouldn’t be so complicated after all. But, oh boy, we were wrong.
Without having much time for delay, we proceeded by researching the company and collecting data from previous years. This process, as you can probably imagine, entailed complex mathematical formulas and a whole lot of data, but at last, our financial report was complete. And we released a sigh of relief, almost as if we had been holding our breaths for months, as if we were finally surfacing for air.
Fast forward to a month later, we arrived at the California state competition at Pepperdine University. While the views of the ocean and the foot of the mountains were most definitely spectacular and breathtaking, our breaths were actually stifled by our rattling nerves.
Hours later, by some miracle, we realized that we had actually won! This meant that we were heading to New York, and for me, it was my first time!
We left LAX on Thursday morning at 1 am after our flight had been delayed for hours. Typical. Not only were we nervous to present our stock pitch to a panel of professional judges on Wall Street, we were also stressed since our AP exams were in less than a week.
However, a five-hour plane ride later, we arrived in New York, and all of our anxieties vanished, replaced with awe and excitement instead. New York truly captured our hearts because the bustling city was so alive in comparison to the sleepy suburban area where we were from.
We spent the day exploring the city streets, riding the subway through the winding underground tunnels, and touring prestigious schools like Columbia University.
The following morning, we headed to BNY Mellon, a bank on Wall Street, to present our stock pitch one last time, and we gave it our all. I vividly remember stepping up to the podium, taking a deep breath, and before I knew it, our presentation was over. A whole year’s worth of preparation just for one brief and fleeting moment.
Later that day, when the judges announced the winners of the competition, I distinctly remember closing my eyes and holding my breath.
“In third place, we have New Jersey.” Not us.
“And in second, Malaysia.” Still not us.
“Finally in first place, Pakistan. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who competed!” We did not hear our names, and I was beyond devastated.
My deepest concern, my “what if,” came true. We had lost.
Yes, I was thoroughly disappointed that we did not win the competition. However, upon reflection, I realized that we had won in numerous other aspects. Throughout this journey, we practice perseverance and hard work, and in the end, our individual efforts were united and cohesive. Also, during that whirlwind of a week in New York, irreplaceable memories were made, allowing me to fall in love with the people and landmarks of the city. Now, I simply wondered, “what if… well, nothing” because the future is unpredictable, and now, all there is left to do is to take a chance.
My heart was pulsing rapidly within my chest and my clammy hands were trembling by my sides. Deep within my mind, I knew that I was thoroughly prepared, but I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. What if I stutter? What if I forget? What if I run out of time? All of these uncertainties, these “what ifs,” formed a haze within my brain that intimidated me far more than the staring, well no, glaring, panel of judges. Most importantly, I wondered what if I don’t win? After all, I had spent almost an entire year preparing for this moment: the annual Global Stock Pitch Competition in New York City.
My partner Lauryn and I had been preparing for this competition for months, and it all started with selecting a publicly traded stock on the U.S. Stock Exchange.
In fact, I clearly remember our conversation from that day: “What stock should we pick? A pharmaceutical company? An oil company? What about a retail company?”
Going back and forth, we weighed and debated our options like a tug-a-war, full of give and takes. After days, if not weeks, of sheer frustration and indecisiveness, we finally settled on The Trade Desk, a relatively unknown tech company that had just debuted on the stock market approximately a year earlier. And for a brief moment, we saw a glimmer of hope that perhaps our preparation and journey towards the competition day wouldn’t be so complicated after all. But, oh boy, we were wrong.
Without having much time for delay, we proceeded by researching the company and collecting data from previous years. This process, as you can probably imagine, entailed complex mathematical formulas and a whole lot of data, but at last, our financial report was complete. And we released a sigh of relief, almost as if we had been holding our breaths for months, as if we were finally surfacing for air.
Fast forward to a month later, we arrived at the California state competition at Pepperdine University. While the views of the ocean and the foot of the mountains were most definitely spectacular and breathtaking, our breaths were actually stifled by our rattling nerves.
Hours later, by some miracle, we realized that we had actually won! This meant that we were heading to New York, and for me, it was my first time!
We left LAX on Thursday morning at 1 am after our flight had been delayed for hours. Typical. Not only were we nervous to present our stock pitch to a panel of professional judges on Wall Street, we were also stressed since our AP exams were in less than a week.
However, a five-hour plane ride later, we arrived in New York, and all of our anxieties vanished, replaced with awe and excitement instead. New York truly captured our hearts because the bustling city was so alive in comparison to the sleepy suburban area where we were from.
We spent the day exploring the city streets, riding the subway through the winding underground tunnels, and touring prestigious schools like Columbia University.
The following morning, we headed to BNY Mellon, a bank on Wall Street, to present our stock pitch one last time, and we gave it our all. I vividly remember stepping up to the podium, taking a deep breath, and before I knew it, our presentation was over. A whole year’s worth of preparation just for one brief and fleeting moment.
Later that day, when the judges announced the winners of the competition, I distinctly remember closing my eyes and holding my breath.
“In third place, we have New Jersey.” Not us.
“And in second, Malaysia.” Still not us.
“Finally in first place, Pakistan. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who competed!” We did not hear our names, and I was beyond devastated.
My deepest concern, my “what if,” came true. We had lost.
Yes, I was thoroughly disappointed that we did not win the competition. However, upon reflection, I realized that we had won in numerous other aspects. Throughout this journey, we practice perseverance and hard work, and in the end, our individual efforts were united and cohesive. Also, during that whirlwind of a week in New York, irreplaceable memories were made, allowing me to fall in love with the people and landmarks of the city. Now, I simply wondered, “what if… well, nothing” because the future is unpredictable, and now, all there is left to do is to take a chance.
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