Graduation Speech : My Second Grade

I have been going to school since I was four years old and, that means that I have been attending school twenty to twenty two years, including kindergarten, middle school, high school and now college. As every student, I had my ups and downs in school; I had some failures and some successes. One of the failures that affected me the most and that I will always remember was the time that I was in high school during my junior year. I failed almost all my classes and, I only passed two classes and with a C. In the other hand I had some really good success. The most recent one and the one that I am still happy about is getting my Family Development Credential. We learn from our mistakes and also from our successes, these two times in my life

You walk in scanning the badge I gave you the night before you go up the stairs and look no one sees you . walking up to the room I told you about you go in and lock the door , in the middle of the room you see an abandon desk. in the corner is filing cabinet and there a door on the left side

Many individuals believe that attending college directly after high school is a life changing experience This stance can hold true for many reasons regarding the positive aspects for the completion of a college degree. Students should attend college directly after high school because they are more experienced and have great opportunities and benefits rather than waiting to go later on in life.

As I began school, I earned a much greater appreciation for the woods and lands on the ranch I grew up on. While I loved being at school, I dreaded the hour long bus ride each way. Not to mention the 15-minute drive down the ten-mile long dirt road to get to the bus stop. While in elementary school I was often found daydreaming and was often bored. After taking a series of standardized tests I was recommended for the gifted programs that were offered at the time. Although I did not want to be away from my friends, many of who were other ranch kids that I have been with since birth, I accepted going to the program at the urging of my teachers and my parents. I am not sure if the program is still in use, but as a child I found it amazing. There was very little strict curriculum, I was allowed to read all I wanted and there were many interactive lessons to choose from. I remained in that program throughout elementary, and wished that style of learning still existed as I moved on. Middle school was mostly a blur. I was in honors classes and did well, but really have very little memories of it as a whole. My single biggest memory from that time period was the start to my love of several of my hobbies, especially surfing and long range shooting. There were very few extracurricular sports offered except for little league baseball, which I always participated in and loved. My parents were extremely supportive of my endeavors, but never pushed them on me. I honestly

“Congratulations! You have been accepted to Bentley University for fall of 2015!” Words could not express how ecstatic this message made me. As soon as the acceptance email popped up on my phone, I screamed, dropped my backpack, and sprinted over to my track and field teammates to celebrate this triumphant occasion. After years of challenging AP courses, eleven seasons of tiring school sports, and countless extracurricular clubs, I finally felt like all of my hard work had paid off. At that moment, the only thought in my head was “I’m going to Bentley!” My dream — an aspiration I’ve had since my freshman year of high school — was becoming a reality.

In the spring of 2014, I graduated as valedictorian from Klukwan High School located in the Panhandle of Alaska. During my high school career, I maintained status on the high honor roll and received the title of Student of the Month the first month of every school year for four years. In 2011 and 2012, I was selected to attend the Youth Leadership Institute in Anchorage as a student delegate for the Chatham School District. There, I met other high school students from all over Alaska. We spent our time at the conference exercising our newfound leadership skills in fun icebreaker games and group activities. We also learned about our own unique leadership styles, and how we can apply them to various situations back home or anywhere.

“No one is ever going to believe in yourself for you” –The Color Morale; a statement I’ve known all too well. For as long as I can recollect I have continually struggled with my self-worth. As a child my parents always preached about the importance of an education, “In order to be someone in this world you have to have an education.’ The words were engraved in my head and for a while my main focus was my education and pushing myself to my full potential. Growing up I consistently made honor roll. Elementary school consisted of me changing to specific classes that were designated for students who were academically above the rest of the grade level. I took much pride in my education and there was nothing that could stir me off course.

Many people have different high school experiences or stories about when they finally felt like a highschooler or felt like they belonged. Some people might not even have had that experience yet and are still trying to belong at Wahlert Catholic High School. Personally, I have had many experiences when I finally felt like a high schooler. Such as my first year playing on the Wahlert Freshman Baseball team, talking to upperclassmen, my first year playing on the Wahlert Freshman Basketball team, or all of the times cheering in the Wahlert Volleyball, Football, and Basketball Eagle’s Nest. But, one experience truly stands out in particular, the school-wide pep rally for homecoming week.

From my kindergarten beginnings up to my recent experiences, I have always wondered about the world around me and always tried to put others needs before myself. My father also thought of me as a caring philosophy due to things like questioning about “What is death?”at a young age. My elementary school, Foothill Oak, has shaped some prejudices and arrogance that I did my best to hide and fix through my middle school through high school.

I came into this high school believing I knew who I was, but little did I know there was a lot to discover about myself and over these 4 years I blossomed. My freshmen year was a plane white wall as I was beginning my journey in high school. My older sister who was a senior at the time and a friend from middle school helped me explore the school my first days. I began adapting to my schedule and the environment within classrooms getting along with my classmates and teachers. As days passed I began feeling comfortable not only in my academics, but socially as well. I grew distant from others, I grew closer to others, but throughout the process I began realizing that people will come and go and I needed to focus on my interests. I began joining clubs my sophomore year such as an art club and lacrosse. I felt welcomed and challenged at the same time because I had to balance academics and clubs. I learned time management and responsibility and several other important characteristics from my experiences motivating me to become more involved. My junior year was an eye opener as I realized the previous years were just a smooth ride through high school and now I have to face the challenges. It was my first year taking AP courses and I took U.S History and Calculus. History was no problem even though it’s my least favorite subject, it was an easy to understand course and I felt comfortable in the classroom. In the other hand, Calculus was the slap in the face of reality, a course

Grammar school, middle school, and most high schools share one thing in common; they offer the same basic history, math, English, science, and social science course. By the time high school comes around students have already learned the same things again but only this time it is harder and more in depth. College becomes a time that a student really begins to learn about what they want to do with the rest of their lives. When applying to college, applicants don’t apply to learn math, English, history, and science. They apply to learn just math, English, Art, Business, Biology, Chemistry, Criminal Justice and many others. By having a core curriculum, it takes away time that students have to learn deeply about their program of interest. However, if colleges and universities focused more on the curriculum of student’s majors, and less on the core curriculum, these students may have a better understanding of what they want and less chance of graduating late.

It all started when I was a senior in high school and I was taking my final English class required to graduate. At first I had the attitude of a typical senior student with a bad case of “senioritis”, but that all changed once my teacher Ms. Wade began her lesson plan. I immediately fell in love with her teaching style and her enthusiasm for English, which seemed rare to come by with teachers who taught a senior level class. It was then that I knew I wanted to become a teacher and possibly major in English. Fast forward a few years, I started dating my fiancé and was introduced to his niece (age 6) and nephew (age 2). At that point I had a flood of memories of when I was student in elementary school and remembered how much I enjoyed going to school, learning basic knowledge like my ABC’s, and more importantly how my teacher brought me happiness and the desire to learn new things in a fun, exciting and safe environment. When I came back this semester to Daytona State College I was informed of a new program they offered, a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (BSED) and knew it was meant to be. After speaking with an advisor and some of my peers it was clear this is the career path I wanted to take and with hard work and determination I would eventually become an elementary school teacher.

dad had been hired at a company nearby, and Saline was said to be one of the best school districts in the state. At Saline, I grew in my love of reading and most everything else (expect for math), and the classes offered there challenged me to work hard. In high school, I enrolled in all the honors courses I could, taking math a year above the majority of my class and studying hard. My school offered many AP classes, and because of the classes I took there, I entered IUS in my first year as a sophomore according to my credits. No matter what, I know education is important to me and that I will continue in my education for many years. I’m good at school, though sometimes I worry that it’s not so much that I am intelligent than it is that I know how to give people what they want.

I volunteered at W.B Sweeney Elementary School in Willimantic, Connecticut. I was with children in grades kindergarten through fifth for two hours after school every Monday this past semester. I thoroughly enjoyed helping them with homework, doing activities, and just getting to know them individually. I grew as a person from this opportunity, learned more about the field I am planning on entering, and broadened my experience with children overall.

High school was one of the most challenging moments in my life. Not only did I have to deal with the academic pressures and social issues from my peers I had external factors that were heavily impacting me as well. During my junior year my mom separated from her husband and me and my three little brothers ended up staying house to house with close relatives. Shortly after that time at the beginning of my senior year, my mom was sent to prison. In the midst of dealing with all of the demands that any senior deals with I had to also carry the responsibility of taking care of my three siblings. I picked up more hours from my part time job and had help from my stepdad and extended family financially but my little brothers were depending on me psychologically. Times were tough. At times my attention shifted away from my academics and more so to the wants and needs of my siblings. I became so stressed out that I broke down and went to visit my high school counselor. She then recommended me to my school’s district Social Worker.