Team Bertho

Being an average student growing up my parents never made me feel pressurized about my academic results which is so uncommon in a brown family. Luckily, they just said one sentence: keep on working hard. And guess what? I follow this blindly till today.

When you chase the most perfect grades out there it often involves an opportunity cost such as not learning the real-life skills which are vital for surviving in this practical world. There were times I did fall into the trap of trying to score the most perfect academic result because at some point it made me feel that I am failing in life and falling behind. In 2025 I gave my O Levels as a private candidate and I did not score a perfect desirable grade. I don't know if it was because I was suffering from chicken pox for days during my O Levels or not but looking back at 2025 I didn't sit back and cry day and night for that piece of paper which reflected my flaws. As human beings we are not perfect.

Instead I shifted my mindset from "I don't know anything" to "I am learning and I am trying." I put myself out there and applied to be a content writer at Team Bertho. Going through their recruitment and selection process I honestly couldn't believe in myself. But when I actually got in it became a major turning point for me as it was the moment I started believing in myself again.

Now when I see myself way more passionate and curious to learn and grow real-world skills I am kind of proud of my new version and the old version who didn't give up and chose to accelerate her life by using the power of being an average student.

(Mashtura Haider Promita, 18, Bangladesh)

For a long time, I felt like nothing extraordinary ever happened to me when I wanted it to. I remember working tirelessly for my board exams, desperate for a great score, but the results didn’t match my effort. Later, I poured my heart into becoming the head girl of my institute, only to face another disappointment. I was constantly looking backward or stretching forward, searching for meaning in the past and the future, completely forgetting to live in the right now.

Eventually, the burnout caught up with me. I realized that being truly present is an art. Once you master it, life becomes so much simpler and less stressful.

(Muzammil Majeed, 23, Pakistan)