A Classmate That Influenced Me Most in College Once upon a time, I was not so confident about my study and was subject to being pessimistic when confronted with frustrations. However, things virtually begin to change when Tom, my most intimate friend in college, strives to encourage me. I really appreciate his help. I used not to be good at English; however, whenever I was confused about the teacher's explanation, he always interpreted it to me in an explicit way, from which I found English not so formidable. In addition, it is Tom who kept teaching me how to live through setbacks and frustrations in the journey of life. I'll never forget thevery day when I failed my speech contest and was overwhelmed. Tom told me that nobody can defeat a person if he was determined to stand up to every failure. From his encouragement, I regained confidence in learning, knowing that optimism is always the key to success. Thanks to Tom, I eventually learned the significance of confidence and optimism, which serve as indispensable components of personality and are beneficial to a promising prospect.