4 years huh? 

It’s crazy how fast time flies. One day I was a freshman and the next–I was a senior. My high school experience has been filled with highs and lows. Through my 4 years of high school I learned more about myself each year. I was encouraged by great teachers and mentors who gave me guidance when I was feeling lost. 

One of my favorite memories in high school was in a medium sized room in Mr. Trees chemistry class. Mr. Tree was always an encouraging teacher who loved to share out his adventures with the class. And his chemistry jokes, even though his jokes weren’t so funny. I really appreciated him my freshman year when I was struggling to get on top of my assignments. He said something to me that I will never forget. “Stephanie, I admire how when you put your mind to something, you do it”. I never realized that I was capable of doing such, it inspired me to continue to be driven and focus on overcoming my challenges. 

3 years later… I have always reminded myself of that quote. I thank Mr. Tree for helping me with his kind words, which I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know how his words positively impacted me.

My senior year of high school was not what I envisioned it to be at all. I did not see myself logging on zoom at 9:15 each morning. With COVID-19,  I isolated myself in the beginning of the semester. I did really well on the first, but I completely gave up on my second. I felt very trapped by  being inside my home everyday, while doing the same boring routine. Since then, I have developed a routine where I  no longer feel the same. 

In terms of my college experience, I am extremely grateful for Julia from College Possible and Eddy from Escalera. They provided me with helpful tips on how to apply for colleges, how to apply for scholarships and filling out my FAFSA. Their help was extremely useful because I had absolutely no idea of what to do, however with their help I was able to understand applications a lot better.

 Although my high school experience hasn’t been perfect, I understood that–that’s what high school is all about. You learn what your favorite hobbies are, what career path you want, and how to overcome failures. It’s all a process of growing.