The main trait I lack is confidence. In my mind, others are always smarter, prettier, more motivated and just plain better than me. Because of this attitude, I generally do not express my opinions, expose my ideas, or take control of anything; I automatically assume that everything I say or do is wrong or stupid. Although I still need to work on building my confidence, the community atmosphere at SMU, especially the Hilltop Scholars program, has given me the huge confidence boost I need to step out of my comfort zone and do my ideas a reality. A boost in confidence through community support is apparent in the films Legally Blonde, Renaissance Man, and Higher Learning, as each film features individuals who need greater self-confidence, which comes from the support of their communities . In “The Quest for Community in Higher Education,” Parker Palmer specifically describes how community can build trust. Additionally, in “The SMU Community According to Etzioni,” Christiano Gallo illustrates that trust fosters involvement, which fosters trust. The support I feel from diverse members of the SMU community has allowed me to have experiences similar to those of Elle, Rago, and Malik and has helped me understand how Palmer's ideas promote confidence. Additionally, the encouragement of others has opened my eyes to how involvement can inspire confidence. The community gives us someone to lean on. Someone to lean on gives us confidence. Lack of support from the surrounding community can rob someone of their confidence. In Legally Blonde, Elle enters Harvard Law School with little support from her family or her ex-boyfriend, Warner Huntington III. Most students don't take Elle seriously because she is a little different from the ordinary, dark...... middle of paper...... teachers in the SMU community have increased my confidence. My self-confidence is so much stronger now that maybe people will start looking at me as a source of confidence. Maybe, just maybe, people will finally see me as someone they can lean on too. Works Cited Gallo, Christiano. “The SMU community according to Etzioni.” Criteria archives. Ed. Lee Gibson et al. Dallas: SMU English Department, 2011. Passim. Print.Higher education. Real. John Singleton. Columbia (New Deal), 1995. DVD. Legally Blonde. Real. Robert Luketic. Perf. Reese Witherspoon. MGM Home Entertainment, 2001. DVD. Palmer, Parker J. “The Quest for Community in Higher Education.” 2011-2012 Criteria: A first-year writing journal. Ed. Mary K. Jackman and Lee Gibson. Dallas: SMU English Department, 2011. 46-55. Print.Renaissance man. Real. Penny Marshall. Touchstone Pictures, 1994. DVD.