Like millions of others, I've been waiting 13 years to finally see "Finding Dory." When I entered the theater and saw the familiar characters from my childhood, I assumed the way I'd enjoy the movie would stem from mostly just nostalgia. There was a lot of nostalgia involved, but it was the character Dory herself who really made me find a new love for the film. After all these years, I had no idea Dory and I had so much in common. Even though I never lost my parents in The Jewel of Morro Bay, suffer from short-term memory loss, or am a blue fish in the ocean, Dory is practically me.

When I was a little kid, I never really found a strong emotional connection to Dory. She was just the funny character who made whale noises and called a baby jellyfish her "squishy". Back then, I never bonded with fictional characters in the way that I do now. But in "Finding Dory," my perspective changed. Dory showed me that I am not alone in how I feel; she feels the same way about herself as I do about myself.

Dory freaks out a lot. That's understandable considering her fears. She's afraid that if she ventures off alone, she won't be able to fulfill her goals. She feels as though she needs someone else to be in the lead. She didn't want to find her parents alone; she wanted Marlin and Nemo to come with her. She didn't want to travel through the pipes by herself; she wanted Hank to help show her the way. But in the end, she did pretty much all of it by herself. I, too, am terrified of taking the lead. I've always been a follower. I've always doubted my choices, seeking the guidance from others to tell me what to do. But Dory showed me that maybe I can do it by myself, that it's okay to take the lead in my life sometimes.

Dory doesn't have much self-confidence. Admittedly, neither do I a lot of the time. Even when Dory made it all the way across the ocean and followed the shells leading back to her parents, she still didn't realize she did it. Her parents calmed down the upset Dory and opened her eyes to the fact that she did, indeed, accomplish all this by herself. Dory never saw her accomplishments as anything great, but she later discovered that those accomplishments were truly amazing. Sure, her friends were always there when she needed them, but she took control of her situation. I'm so proud of Dory because I felt the same way she did. But her film made me remember that I need to focus on each of my achievements and not look down on myself so much.

Dory is someone I want to strive to be like. I see so much of myself in her already, but I want her newfound confidence that raised from her determination. I want to be more like Dory, always finding another way. Dory asked herself, "What would Dory do?" and now I will ask myself what I will do to better my situation. Next time I'm in a pickle, I'm going to remember the movie. I'm going to remember that if Dory can do it, so can I. She said to just keep swimming, so that's what I'll do.