Diploma Journal Entry

As a young boy, I never truly put much into school. I put as little thought about college as well, but it took one moment that made me want the desire to succeed in my life and make something of it. Working for 12 straight hours in the middle of the hot sun, making minimum wage wasn't how I wanted to live. Going to multiple jobs and having to work all weekend, even during school occasionally was extremely difficult. This just gave me that extra drive to be more superior than anyone else. Yet, I never gave up and still pushed to be the best student I could be. Staying up late nights just to finish homework so I was able to make the best grade in class. The simplest moments in life made we want to be the best

2.3 You need as much information as possible about the individual's communication needs to ensure that their wishes and needs are met. Talk to the individual, their family/carers, other professionals involved in their care. If aids are needed (hearing aids, picture cards, pen and paper) make sure that these are available. If language is a barrier maybe learning a few words of their language would help. If their needs change you need to adapt to the changes. Using the internet, reading books, Journals, reports and reviews are good way of obtaining information providing you know what you need.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I believe because of my experience that set the foundation for the student that I am today. My brother started Kindergarten and my mother would drop me off at the babysitter so she could go to school. My first “academic memory” is remembering my mother sitting at the table saying she had homework, my brother not wanting to be bothered because he had homework. So when my mom didn’t have school and my brother had school together WE did homework. That became our time together, she didn’t send me to school, she created school at the kitchen table. She had books, worksheets, cards, and my own folder. My mother loves to remind me how I use to tell everyone that I didn’t go to preschool. Fast Forward five years, my friends were getting grounded for their grades and asking me why I never got in trouble for mine. My friends and I spoke with my mom and her reply was, “I believe if you do your best, try your hardest, and do everything you can to be the best you can- I don’t believe in punishing Bethany. Now, If Bethany didn’t try her best, try her hardest, do everything she could to get the best grades she can then we will look at why.” My friend looked at me and said “Oh, you're lucky! I wish I had your mom!” I never shared that all my grades were A’s, because I did my best, I tried my hardest and I did everything I could to get the best grades I could and I still do. If I need to study for 3 hours, If I need to seek out a teacher, plan a study group with friends or students who can help, I’ll do what I need to do. I appreciate the academic recognitions as they continue to motivate me. I am not afraid of hard work and I believe this will benefit the National Honor

I believe in determination, which is what helps me conquer even the hardest obstacles in life. I have come to find that I am most determined when it comes to school; pushing myself beyond the limits. For example, each year at my school, I am given the task of picking out the classes I want to take. This seems like a simple task; however, I am determined to push myself past the requirements. As this one sheet of paper sits in front of me, I sweat about how I will get through my tougher classes and balance my activities after school. That’s when my determination kicks in. I put in my headphones, listen to “Determinate” by Lemonade Mouth, and then I learn how to take life’s obstacles step by step and eventually fulfill all my simple and tough

The last goal I set for myself is using my time for wisely. Every time I would come back home from school, instead of doing my homework, I would either turn on the TV or use my phone. Later on, I motivated myself to do something more productive. For example, doing and finishing my homework, because I wanted to maintain good grades. I knew that if I wanted to make my parents proud, I would have to do good in school. My parents were my motivation to always try my hardest no matter what.

I have been able to successfully handle a professional career while successfully maintaining a 3.2 GPA. I have also been able to be a role model for my two teenage sons and teenage brother. I was the first college graduate in my immediate family. I have showed them that I have the ability to overcome obstacles that has crossed my path while obtaining my degrees. I feel that I have given them the perception that regardless of what happens in life, if you set my mind to something you can still achieve it. It may be harder but with strong will determination the impossible is possible. I pray that my efforts has given them the initiative they need to continue their education and achieve the goals they have set for

As I went through 1-9 grade school I finally found grit. Going to St. Mary’s during 1-6 grade school getting up at 6:30 every morning just wanting to hit the snooze button so I could get that extra hour of sleep in. After getting ready for school, I would get on the bus, three stops later we would pick up these annoying foster kids that gave me a headache every day because they would shut their mouths that I would have to push through school with. Then building up all the energy sitting in 1-2 classrooms the whole day waiting for recess so I could let it all out. Since I pushed through those challenges, I was able to move on to middle school. During my two years of middle school three out of the five days of school, I would get up at 5:30 and

Every year ever since my goal would be to take home the awarded diploma to the best student in the class. I chose to convey exemplary values to those around me, be it classmates, friends, or family. Although quirky, and having been an only child for the longest and loneliest seven years of my upbringing, I eagerly and earnestly strived to make an effort in becoming a successful and respectable member of my family, neighborhood, and surroundings. I anticipated becoming a role model as a soon-to-be older

Over a decade had been dedicated to piano; by stopping my progress I felt as if I was giving up. My dilemma lasted months before I realized that an organized, balanced schedule was my solution. I decided to earn my diploma, but at a slower pace to create time for school

Taking classes at Mercer County Community College while I am in high school was another challenge for me during my process of graduating early. I have no free time to do anything because Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days of my class. I do my work for the class on time while doing my high school work as well. I was taking on a lot but every second my time I spend doing something useful I was gaining knowledge. Everything I did was for a reason and I will be successful because I was doing exactly what God has planned for me. I overcame this challenge by pushing on non stop, I took it little by little till I got one thing out the way to another. God and my ambition is what keeps me driven, I was given a gift that I am willing to find by doing all it takes. You can not be lazy or procrastinate, that is something I did not do, and that is why I am succeeding. No one can possibly fathom on how far I will go to achieve what I deserve I will knock out every challenge that comes my way. Another thing that made me overcome my challenge was the famous quote by Muhammad Ali “Float like a butterfly, sting like a

Grades may not have been super important in third grade, but I was not the best child. I struggled to pay attention in class and could never bring myself to complete a homework assignment. Usually, I would just say to my teachers, “I did not know what to do, so I did not do the homework.” My mom would tell me that I could not continue to do this for the rest of my schooling. This hit me, and between my mom and seeing what being dedicated and motivated did for me in basketball, I decided to put more effort into my school work. Telling myself, I need to set goals if I want to start doing better, I did exactly that. I set goals, starting off small, such as getting all my homework done for a week and not having any late or missing assignments. From there I went to trying to achieve a letter grade higher in every class that I did not have an A in by the end of the quarter. Now that I had something to work towards, I began doing better in the classroom, just like I was doing on the basketball court. Seeing this improvement made me feel a sense of accomplishment. I was very proud that I was able to do this, and it all sprouted from me playing basketball. Despite that, I was still focused on self gain. I was set on being better than my teammates, and that is not the mindset you want in a team

My favorite extracurricular activity in high school has been band. I love playing percussion and I am very excited to become a music teacher. In every year of highschool, I have auditioned for All-State Band. The audition process taught me many valuable lessons, but I think the most important has been defeat. After my auditions my freshman and sophomore year, I was very discouraged because I did not make it into All-State Band. However, after my sophomore year I was able to evaluate my practicing and learn from my mistakes. I channeled my anger from defeat into motivation to practice harder than I had ever done before. I remember coming home after long days at school, trying to fit in homework and sometimes an evening violin lesson or play

Although I excelled at numerous other things, piano made me feel like I truly accomplished something exquisite. Sure my accomplishments in my academic education were phenomenal; however, the difference between my academics and piano playing is that it is so easy to allow myself to neglect my musical studies. This instrument was my greatest challenge to conquer. At the beginning of this journey, I often became frustrated and greatly struggled due to not attaining the concepts of reading the notes and figuring out where each key was placed. I could not believe how much time, effort, and tenacity was put into one little hobby in order to be triumphant. On the contrary, after thinking of a quote my grandmother reiterated to me when I was a child, "Practice makes perfect and perfect is worth it", I worked hard and improved my piano playing. The feeling of achieving the piano and obtaining a new virtuosity was superior than any emotion I ever had. I continued to practice more and more, therefore discovering my unique

In grade school I struggled academically. Eventually, the outcome resulted in me receiving an individualized education plan (I.E.P.). For years, my lack of confidence from having an IEP contributed to my lack of motivation. In essence, these factors stifled my academic career. I struggled with the emotions of not being smart enough. I never sought guidance from instructors, which ultimately caused me to fall behind even more. By the time I entered high school I was considerably behind. Finally, my twelfth grade English teacher sat me down and had a conversation with me. She shared with me that she believed in me. No one had ever taken the time to say those four words to me. It had a profound

When I was younger, I was told to work hard for a good education, proceed to get a stable job, and to fulfill the dream of pure happiness. Coming from a family of determination truly alleviated some of my stress and helped me shape my plan of where I wanted to end up in life. Picture yourself sitting back in high school, freshman year pondering about what you wanted to be along with who you wanted to be. Every day there could be a new piece of information that would either alter your timeline or even change what plans you had for yourself. You were thinking about all of the roadblocks you may come across and what rewards may be waiting for you at the end of the journey. Looking back I see myself exactly where I am now, waiting for that one thing to spark my mind and light a fire underneath me. I found that spark back in the day when I realized that high school wasn’t for me. I was prepared for the real world and I was ready for college. I sat in my classes and thought to myself “I am ready for more, I am ready to go.” So I proceeded on to search the internet for ways to graduate early and surprisingly I found my savior. It was the one thing that was going to speed up my goals and get me onto the next chapter of my life.