The main characteristic I lack is trust. In my mind, others are always smarter, prettier, more motivated, and just plain better than me. Because of this attitude, I usually don't voice my opinions, express my ideas, or take control of anything; I automatically assume that everything I say or do is wrong or stupid. While I still have work to do to build 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 transform my ideas actually. An increase in confidence through communities of support is evident in the films Legally Blonde, Renaissance Man, and Higher Learning because each film includes 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 outlines how community can build trust. Furthermore, in “The SMU community according to Etzioni”, Christiano Gallo illustrates that trust promotes engagement, which in turn promotes trust. The support I feel from various members of the SMU community has provided me with similar experiences to those of Elle, Rago, and Malik and has helped me understand how Palmer's ideas promote confidence. Additionally, the encouragement from others opened my eyes to how involvement can instill confidence. Community gives us someone to lean on. Someone to lean on gives us confidence. Lack of support from a surrounding community can rob someone of their confidence. In Legally Blonde, Elle begins Harvard Law School with little support from her family or ex-boyfriend, Warner Huntington III. Most students don't take Elle seriously because she is a little different from the ordinary, gloomy... middle of paper... teachers of the SMU community has boosted my confidence. My self-confidence is much stronger now that maybe people will start looking at me as a source of confidence. Maybe, just maybe, people will also finally see me as someone they can count on. Works CitedGallo, Christiano. "The SMU Community according to Etzioni." Policy archive. Eds. Lee Gibson et al. Dallas: SMU Department of English, 2011. Passim. Print.Higher learning. John Singleton directed. Columbia (New Deal), 1995. DVD. Legally Blonde. Director Roberto Lucatico. Perf. Reese Witherspoon. MGM Home Entertainment, 2001. DVD.Palmer, Parker J. “The Search for Community in Higher Education.” Criteria 2011-2012: A first-year writing journal. Eds. Mary K. Jackman and Lee Gibson. Dallas: SMU Department of English, 2011. 46-55. Print.Renaissance man. Dir. Penny Marshall. Touchstone Pictures, 1994. DVD.