Frumpy High School-Personal Narrative

Ah, Junior High. Those awkward years between sixth and ninth grade when I had no earthly idea what to do with myself. I remember them well. I had to get used to being in a school that wasn’t an elementary school, the way older kids were acting, and how things were in my new school.

Junior High can be hard, complicated, and draining. But having the key points to hold onto can quickly make junior high less complicated. Two years of junior high and I think I’ve learned quite a lot about myself, others and what makes me happy and successful. Throughout my experience at Westmount I’ve come to believe the importance of self-confidence, having realization and pay attention.

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

Freshman year of high school i had to go to tryouts for soccer at this time the total number of kids trying out was over 40 and most of the time the team size was only around 35 so i knew there was gonna be cuts. So at the beginning of the week i showed up and we started practice i felt okay throughout conditioning but then when we went to foot skills i knew immediately that i was lacking a lot. The next day came and we worked on passing which i felt comfortable with as i played center mid 8th grade so i felt above average in that area. The third and final day of tryouts we worked on shooting which i was middle of the line but i had never really played forward .

Hey, that’s me! In all my glory, or lack thereof, or however you see me. I think I’m pretty cool, I guess. Anyways. Here I am, a 15 year old girl living the life of a high schooler. Isn’t that a tale unheard of? But unlike many, I LOVE highschool. Mostly, because it’s in Phoenix, and one of the most important things you could know about me, is that this is my town. The gas stations, grocery stores, and library, especially, are and have always been the things I consider home. Since February 3rd, 2002, my date of birth, I have been in this town for all my life, minus a 2-3 month and a later 3-4 month period.

Before the beginning of High school, I was an average kid, was kind of chubby and didn’t look too good. Whenever the mile run came up, I would always finish in a terrible position and have to do the walk of shame as I would approach the finish line. I had fluffy love handles and to accompany my waist, was a pair of squirrel cheeks. When lunchtime came around I would spend 5 dollars just on cookies so I could get my daily sugar fix. However, I was madly in love with a girl, and she would turn me down every time I would try to ask her out. 3 years ago today, I overcame my old self and turned my unhealthy lifestyle into a glamorous way of living.

Fourteen years ago I was born at Munster Community Hospital. It was March 5, 2001 around 7:30 in the morning. When I was able to go to the house I still live in today. My mom would always tell me that my brother and sister loved me. When I got older I went to The YMCA for preschool. I went there for two years. Those two years flew by, I blinked and was suddenly in Kindergarten. It was the first day and I remember making two friends that I am still friends with today. Next, was first grade, I was in my class with one of my friends from kindergarten. That year went by fast. Second grade was one of the best years because I met my very best friend. We are still really close today. Third grade is when all of friends were in one class except

If you were to ask me if I liked my high school life here in the U.S. three years ago, I would give you a definite, one worded answer, “No.” It was my fourth year since I had moved from China to New York, I had thought that I had gotten used to the life here, until the first day of high school that screwed everything up. Everything in Midwood was totally different from what I had expected, or, from what I had experienced. Everything was new to me; I had never been used to move from class to class in between periods, and meet different people every time in a new class. As a timid person myself, everything in high school was making me uncomfortable. I felt as if I would never make any friends or even survive in this big school.

We all were silent as we walked out the door. We walked down the sidewalk about 30 feet. Oh my gosh, I could not believe the site I was seeing. I could feel my eyes get really huge when I saw the stadium we were about to play in. My jaw was wide open, soaking in everything I was seeing. When you looked at the stadium it was a beautiful place to play soccer. I looked to the right. There was seating and an overhead platform that was over the crowd. It was packed full of people and a student section that was cheering with all their might. This place was huge. When I looked to the left is was more seating that went all the way down the side of the field that was completely full of people too. Then the field I tell you what. Words cannot even describe it. This field was huge it was double the size that we normally play on. The white goals were set on opposite sides of the field with a crisp white net. The field was all turf that looked freshly laid. The white lines on the field looked perfect and untouched. When I looked straight at the scoreboard behind, there were picture perfect, tall buildings that lined the back of it. This was an awesome site to see. It was our time to shine. We were standing there, watching the game before us finish. It was the perfect temperature out and there was a little wind, which was very beneficial. Right before our game, the big lights turned on. They lit up the field as if it was still bright out. It was game time. I was so nervous, but not just me it was the whole team. The whistle

I walked towards the entrance of the stadium, gripping my ticket feeling every bump and rip. I saw the enormous stadium, I smelled the crisp outside air, I heard the cheering of thousands of fans. There seemed to be millions of people only reminding me of black friday.

Graduation is an exciting time in a person’s life, especially a high school graduation. When I think of family and friends gathering together to celebrate a joyous occasion, I feel I accomplished my strongest goal. It never occurred to me that graduation would be the end of my youth and the start of adulthood. Graduating from high school was an influential event that gave me an altered outlook on my existence. Life before graduation, preparing for graduation day, and commencement day overwhelmed me for reality.

Last August, as a high school senior, I made a big transition in my life. Not only did I pack up my things and move to another city, I moved with the intention of acquiring higher education. I made the next step in my life by beginning college. High school life as I knew it was over, and my life would be new and different upon my arrival at school. My room, schedule, motivation, school life, money availability and parental influence has changed greatly.

“There are things that we don’t want to happen but have to accept, things we don’t want to know but have to learn, and people we can’t live without but have to let go,” Unknown. Up to age 14, my experience with letting go was discarding things that had lost their value or upgrading to the newest model. I traded my cherished Nintendo DS for a cell phone, Barbie’s for high end makeup, and Hot Wheels for a glossy Schwinn bicycle. I was a naïve teen who was yet to face life’s tough lessons.

She was only 40 years old when she passed; a wife, mother of three young kids, and a teacher at the local high school gone within two short years of her diagnosis. She still had half of her life left to experience, hundreds of her kids’ sports games to attend, and thousands of days left to educate the next generation, yet those opportunities were taken away in the blink of an eye. In the wake of her passing, I witnessed the up and down emotions of a broken family, the shock of a hurting community, and the realization of a new reality by the ones who were minus a friend on that stormy, summer day. Almost everyone has seen or experienced the same emotions I saw after her death, because the disease that killed her has become an all too common part of our society. We hold bake sales and car washes, walk 5Ks, even dedicate whole months to it, but what if we didn’t have to do that? What if there was a way to prevent it?