Better Information Retention

 

 Overcoming adversity

When I was 9 years old, I told my mom that I wanted to be an astronaut. She looked at me funny and asked if anything could make me change my mind. I shook my head, said no, and left it at that. My mother went on to tell me about women who couldn't have children. Fast forward 7 years later, when I took the SATs for the first time and got one of the highest scores on the verbal section (out of 20), but then scored under 700 on math because of a ridiculous section in which you had to figure out what 10 x 8 was/does in terms of a fraction of 12 inches long or 36 square inches in diameter. I had a particular problem with this because my hand wasn't large enough to draw 36 square inches in the allotted timeframe. I was crushed; I had always been a good math student. My mom, who was sitting with me, said that if I worked really hard it wouldn't be a problem. She said that I could use my "handicap" as motivation to make up for it. And so, as cheesy as it sounds, this is how my tenacity was born. I put my soul into all my work, especially math. I am now a double major in it and physics at Dartmouth College. It's not always easy being a woman in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), but I have never let that stop me from pursuing this field of study. No one can tell me I can't do something because of my gender because no one knows the challenges that I've overcome to get where I am today. My mom was right all along: if you want something bad enough and work hard enough towards it, you can accomplish anything.

My name is David and I am a 20 year old college student at University of California, Santa Cruz. My first introduction to music came when I was 8 years old. My parents gave me a guitar and hoped I would learn how to play it. For two years, I hated playing guitar but my parents kept pushing me to keep going because they thought that one day I would like it. When I was 10, a family friend introduced me to the Legend of Zelda video game series . At this point in my life, my love for music grew big enough that it became one of the biggest passions in my life and has been since then. As for Zelda, it started as just entertainment but then turned into an obsession . Every time I got a new game, I played it and beat it as soon as possible. This made me want to play the game over, only this time with a new perspective. I made keen observations and found subtle details that others would miss if they did not know what they were looking for. For example, in the Ocarina of Time , You find out about a man named Sheik . In order to learn more about him you need to take notes in your notebook which is given to you by Princess Zelda. The notebook tells the story of Sheik, how he came from a small village to a world-wide renown hero, and how he died. Through this game, I learned about writing style and the importance of research. The Ocarina of Time was a very important game in my life because I felt welcomed into the Zelda fandom by being able to understand and respect it. This made me want to learn more about Zelda as an experience with its own lore. I went on to purchase every Zelda game imaginable at the time and learned all about them so that my knowledge would be complete. After I had finished with all the games, not only did I read up on the different games, I played them all again. It was at this point that I really got into music and started playing acoustic guitar, with nothing but my imagination to guide me. My first chords were major and minor chords . Two years later, I knew how to play eight different songs from my favorite series and could string together a few other parts together in various ways. This was a huge accomplishment for me because many of my friends who also loved playing video games had no clue what they were doing or how to pick up an instrument. I never felt discouraged to be interested in music because of this. In fact, the music in my life has been a huge inspiration and motivation for me. It's also a huge way for me to express myself. I am very sensitive and emotional person and through music I can channel my feelings into something tangible. My first band was called "SensAbles", we started making original songs with nothing but a bass guitar. Then came "Flight Risk" , a metal band inspired by Ocarina of Time . Next, I started making electronic music under the name "Cataclysm". My music has gotten a lot of attention, but I've never abandoned my original style. I am very happy being able to develop my own style and not just play others' songs. Also, I had a senior year in high school where I had learned how to play the piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums and the violin . Not only did this inspire me to keep learning different instruments but it also made me understand how everything fit together.

My name is Pablo and I am a 19 year old high school sophomore. From the moment I first picked up a guitar at age 6 it was love at first sight. I began to play guitar at age 15 and have been playing ever since. It was only a matter of time before I started to get into songwriting, and naturally, my first songs were very much inspired by the music i listened to growing up. I loved playing along with my favorite albums, in particular songs by The Script .  This led me into writing my own music along with singing. My first song was called "Strangers", and it became my personal anthem during the last year of high school as we played our final season together. While in high school, I continued writing my own music and provided music for local radio stations. I am currently attending California State University, Fullerton and I am studying Digital Audio Production with a minor in Music Business.

I was introduced to the Legend of Zelda when I was a little girl and have been hooked ever since! The lore, the characters, the gameplay, and so much more is what makes Zelda such an amazing series. The music is my favorite part. It ties every part of the game together and makes you feel as if you are truly in that world! I hope one day to build on this passion to become a professional composer for video games.

Conclusion

Through this article, you have seen how each of us had a different introduction to the Legend of Zelda. Yet, it is our love for Zelda that binds us together. It's a part of our life, something that we carry with us no matter where we go. I hope you were moved by these stories as much as I was when I interviewed them. If you want to get in touch or talk about Zelda, don't hesitate to contact me at:

My blog proudly supported by the following: If your interested in learning more about the music track "We are One" by artist "Mind The Gap" check out his website here .