Personal Narrative: My Experiences In High School

Through my time growing up in Corona Queens as a kid I had come to realize something, I was beginning to get shorter as time progressed, the odd part was that I was the tallest in my class, standing at 5,10 in the 7th grade I was considered tall for a kid my age, in addition to only being 12 but regardless as I kept on coming home, I only felt as if I'm getting shorter. one day returning from the library and my reading session about the book Nature I was still in shock about what Henry David Thoreau has said about "sucking the marrow of life", and as I was attempting to think of how I can accomplish what he said, I fell and nearly broke my skull. it was then that I realized that what seemed like a footstep to walk into my home was a 10ft fall.

Going through high school the days were all the same, except for game days. There was just something different about the culture of the school. You could almost feel the excitement in the air. Every “Good luck tonight,” that was received made it feel like the whole school was rooting for me. This was my senior year and tonight was an especially big game. The game that night would decide if we made playoffs and if I could step on the court as a Hawk again.

Growing up we never had a stable household, so basically I went from school to school. I went to 4 elementary schools, the most stable being three years. About my second year of school we went from being somewhat below average to quite below average income wise and lost our house. We basically stayed in a hotel for most of that year. We then moved to a labor camp in Tampa for the finishing of my third grade year. Finally in 4th grade we had some stability where I went to Davenport Elementary for the final three years of grade school. I was very shy for the most part and had few friends in school probably from the contribution of being the only white guy on the black bus outside of the mentally challenged kid who had a grand total of zero

I currently attend a specialized high school which is lead to be a “non-typical high school experience.” Being surrounded by peers who share the same goals as I do has continued to challenge me beyond my comfort zone. High school has prepared me to anticipate the rigorous work in the BS-MD program while balancing other priorities. Learning from my past experiences, time management is vital in any academic atmosphere. From eighth grade through tenth grade most of my time was spent in the dance studio, up to 25 hour weeks. I’ve learned to balance my passion for dance while maintaining my position on the honor roll. With the challenge of being a senior in high school, dance would not be fit for my schedule. Meanwhile, I was mentored by two extremely

hen I first walked through Old Colony’s doors when I was a freshman I didn't know if my friends from my middle school were going to be there. Luckily a majority of my friends were accepted too but even if they weren't I was ready to make new ones. Freshmen year for me wasn't really nerve racking but I still had nerves because I was use to the middle school environment where I knew everyone but this was a totally different experience. The teachers that I was assigned to really helped with the middle school to high school transition and I am really thankful for that. Probably the best part of my freshman year was the exploratory program that I went through. There were a lot of shops that really caught my eye but the one that really stuck with

I guess my school experience has been one of many trials and tribulations, more of a story of redemption. My intent is to shed a beacon of light onto what I deem to be the beginning chapters of my educational journey.

One thing that has been meaningful to me is my experience with high school athletics. I choose high school athletics because of a few reasons. My first reason is how I learned about hard work and if you push yourself, you can achieve your goal. I have been lifting weights three days a week since I was in 8th grade. Up until the summer before my junior year I hadn’t tried very much while I lifted weights. I would rush to finish my workout, sometimes I would even skip lifting. I had wasted my time for three years. I realized that I had to change my work ethic. The summer before my junior year is when I started to push myself. I never skipped lifting the whole summer, and to this day I have not missed a day. I wouldn’t lift to just lift, I lifted

LGBT Americans make up anywhere from one percent, or three million people, to five percent, or 16 million people, of the American population. Each of these individuals has had his/her own unique journey through life. Sometimes this aspect of their identity can define their life; it can especially shape their life in terms of what they experience. For instance, LGBT teens are three times more likely to be bullied, 90 percent have been harassed at school, and more than 33 percent will attempt suicide, which is four times more than our straight counterparts. The journey through high school can be tough for LGBT students, but it can be just as enlightening, just like it has been for me.

While entering high school was a petrifying year for me, I did not want to go through the next four years in fear everyday. As a result, I joined an enrichment called Chicago Voyagers. I loved being in the outdoors because I get to embrace the nature before technology has filled our minds and that is what we revolve around constantly. Also, through this non-profit organization, I get to meet new friends and gain some personal skills like leadership, teamwork, and communication. I do not want people to see me as timid and someone who does not have a voice. Even though I may still be quiet, I see myself becoming more outgoing and loud compared to my past self. When I reflect on my time in high school, I have made most of my friends because I

Most kids dread the thought of going back to school, but that is because of all of the time, stress, and homework, but they don’t realize how much of an impact school will have on their lives. Many kids don’t take school seriously, and may even drop out. The four years of high school are some of the most important years of everyone’s life.

High school in its self is an experience. There are many activities and opportunities to take part in. I have been provided the opportunity to have experience many of these during the course of my high school career. The one that stands out to me as most satisfying was when the girls volleyball team went to state. However, I am not a member of the volleyball team; I am a part of the band.

In high school, I was a bad kid. I didnt do drugs or drink beer, but I was bad. School wasnt a priority of mine during my junior year, and I failed all of my classes except weight training, ceramics, and jewelry. I lived for the bell at the end of the day. This was the first year that I drove, and I did it a lot. I had an old baby blue Chevrolet pickup that could fly like the wind. I met a lot of people, and gained some good friends.

Before we went to lunch, I was so furious that I yelled at Mrs. Price, “How can you pretend like everything is okay?” The entire class just stared at me, and Mrs. Price said,”Rachel! We will eat lunch, then accompany the principal in her office!” I knew there was steam coming out of my ears by now, but I didn’t say a word. In the cafeteria, I ate my lunch silently in fear of what I might say.

This year, I’m going for the gold. Rather than sitting still waiting for opportunities to come to me, I came to the conclusion that to get the most out of my high school experience, I’d have to chase my dreams. Growing up as a first generation American, I’ve always felt as if I was the “monkey in the middle”, too African to be American, and too American to be African. There have been many times in my life in which I have been taunted and discriminated against for my heritage and at one point in my life, I was ashamed of who I was. All I saw on the television and in magazines were girls with skin lighter than mine and hair that was looser as well. It was a dark time for me and I would never want anyone to experience the things I went through.

Throughout my middle and high school years I have always been involved in many sports and activities, and that is a bit strange for a person that had never been interested in any type of sport and was very very anti-social, from seventh grade down. Athletics and Band where the two major components of my 7-8 middle school years. I was in all regular classes and my grades were not the best, with 70’s and 80’, I always did what I needed to do to get a passing grade. When I was in Band, I have to admit, I was pretty good even though I never really practiced at home, because my French horn was too heavy for a 4.5 feet tall girl to carry two miles home every day. In our district, High School started in tenth grade, and I actually did like it that