Graduation Speech : High School

My original plans for academic success were decimated. Still, as I entered college I reverted back to my original ideal. Perhaps it was the sense of renewal or a change in perspective that spurred me back on track. I truly believed I was going to hold myself together long enough to become the successful student I needed to be, my original self. I did not even last four months. This time was different, though. Instead of pushing through the anxiety and depression to finish, the way I had my freshman and sophomore years, or letting everything pass without a care, like junior and senior year, I made a decision to stop. I left college and everything I had spent my entire life working for to focus on my health, because I was not going to survive

So far, all throughout high school, I have done my best in school. I strive to get the best grades I can. There are many opportunities out there, college related, that many people out of high school don’t have. I make sure I take advantage of these opportunities because all the hard work will be very rewarding in the end. During my sophomore year of high school, I had the chance to get into a four-year program that would have me take college classes while still in high school. Also, I would be able to job shadow different careers, practice interviewing skills, and get an internship. By the end of this program I would have an associate’s degree and have developed very useful skills necessary for a career. This whole program would be free.

Having traveled down a declining slope in my sophomore year, I was suddenly motivated to prop myself back up. I was for the first time emancipated of my pride and began to actively search for means to amend my “defeat”. When I finally received final semester grades, I was proud of not simply the hard work I’ve put into achieving these grades, but more importantly, how I picked myself up and rose above the ebbs and flows of my academic career.

It wasn’t uncommon to stay at work past three in the morning, regardless of school. After a twelve hour shift every night, I struggled with being coherent for class, my eyes formed bags, and lunch had become nap time. Senior year arrived and I’d be doing all my homework at the bar or on the pooltable. I was in a self conflicting battle between my love of work, money, and struggle to graduate. Anxiety had gotten so unbearable, it led to my single worst panic attack of my life. I reluctantly gave my farewell to the strip club and waitressed at a mexican restaurant; which barely paid my bills, and certainly wasn’t contributing to savings for college. Grades improved and I slept more, but life felt

Besides my academics, besides the test scores, and besides my student performance; high school taught me that who we are as a person and what we contribute to society is only a portion higher in importance than school. After all, we do need education as much as we need serenity. The two almost never were on the same level, yet there always has to be a balance between mental health and grades. I’m almost proud to say that I still managed to pass my classes and participate in many extracurricular activities, despite lacking

Many young adults who happened to just cross over into their eighteenth year of life, have had to overcome many life hurdles to get where they are today. Unfortunately, it has only just begun. As a young adult in their senior year of high school, one could assume that after thirteen years of schooling, that certain individual has already become sick of school and is ready to graduate. One could also assume that they can’t even fathom the slightest thought of trying to go for another degree beyond high school. To a graduated senior, at least in their head, they think it’s just four more years and they’re finally done. With this dreadful attitude already sunken in their mind, they’re already contemplating everything going into their first college

High school seemed like the most ominous and unsettling idea, so I tried to ignore it. Deep down, I knew that I was only anxious because of all of the stories I heard about how strict the teachers were. You know, shredding late papers and the pin-drop silence that plagued every classroom? It only bothered me because I was lazy, and I was certified in procrastination. Once I wrapped up the last day of middle school, we immediately began packing up the moving trucks, which ended up being a very long and painful process. The transition from Littlestown, PA to Taneytown, MD was complete, and before I knew it, I began my high school career in a strange place, surrounded by strange people. I could only help but wonder if my old friends missed me or still talked about me. My year progresses quicker than I anticipated, yet I could only feel my days growing longer each and every day. My grades were suffering to the point to where I flunked Algebra I. The foundation for my GPA, crumbling right beneath the tips of my pencil, something that I failed to detect amidst all of the stress and drama that encompassed my everyday life. At age 14, I was just a shade shy of depressed, that I kept feeling it creeping up on me, like a wolf in the night. It didn't take a scientist to figure out that I needed to do something about my situation, or else my future may be in jeopardy. Upon weighing my options, I ultimately chose that a transfer to Westminster High would be in my best interest academically, socially, mentally, and

When I walked out of Marvin Ridge High School on the last day of classes my sophomore year, I recognized that I needed to make a change. I had just seen my transcript for the first time since the end of freshman year, and the numbers on those pieces of paper crushed me. However it was that exact feeling of desperation that was the impetus for my academic renaissance. From that moment forward, I vowed to hold

Success is what the majority of every college student hopes and aims for throughout their entire college career. College success and education often determines how the rest of a student’s life will be. Therefore, there is an immense amount of pressure involved when it comes to going to college and students tend to get extremely overwhelmed. In order to have a successful career and transition into college, one must maintain a healthy state of mental health. Mental health can be negative or positive and there are numerous amounts of ways to help students with their mental health overall.

I had experienced difficulty concentrating in every aspect of my life. Despite my intense studying and disciplined efforts in college, I still fell short, feeling trapped and unable to move forward. Disappointed with my grades, I spoke with a school counselor in my second year, who suggested that I speak with a psychiatrist to help figure out the disparity between my efforts and my grades.

My freshman year of highschool, like most people’s, is not something that I remember fondly. However, it wasn’t about the social displacement or awkward phases that so many upperclassmen lament about-- it was the academic pressure that proliferated my life. As a student on the honors track, I always had a great enthusiasm for learning, but I also experienced an immense pressure to perform above average in the face of the looming honors workload. By the beginning of second semester, I had found myself sitting in the school social worker's office having a full blown breakdown after a concerned English teacher found me crying in her class and had no idea what to do. I remember feeling like I was drowning in a wave of responsibilities that of which felt impossible to fulfill. My grades, my work, my intelligence just wasn’t good enough for all the expectations I had placed upon myself. A year later, I was put on medication for my uncontrollable bouts of anxiety and depression. As someone who already experienced some issues regarding mental health, the amount of pressure I experienced from my parents, teachers, and even myself, pushed me over the edge.

Life in college has seen a rise in students with mental illnesses commonly referred to as depression. The symptoms noted by various researchers have brought about different theories relating to the causes and the solutions. Though different reasons or problems leading to depression are observed, the solutions all are similar in their dedication to helping the students in their daily lives,.The easy-to-do solutions are meant to help them; a step at a time.

Many students enter high school with a pessimistic mindset that is on the verge of rupturing in a total disaster. Fortunately, I was not one of those students. Ironically, I was just the opposite. I entered the walls of high school with much more than a faint feeling of trepidation. I entered, rather, with an indefinable desire to seek opportunities beyond the basics of what I was already capable of doing. The huge new school was both frightening and exciting for a 13 year old girl who was ready to make an impact on the world. That same 13 year old girl is now beyond the fears, beyond the anxiety, and beyond the anticipation. She has now surpassed 3 years of high school and is one step closer to achieving her dreams.

Every year the percentage of high school graduates going to college after high school rises. But as the number of students increases, so does college tuition. In 2013-14 there was a 9% rise in CSU tuition with the average rise being 7% a year. As College prices rise, more student loans are withdrawn to help pay for increased tuition. Student debt isn’t like credit card debt or medical bills or a mortgage, where if you declare bankruptcy all your debt will be forgiven. Student loans stick with you until they are payed off in full plus interest. As a high school student who hopes to go to college in 2-3 years, I don’t know if I am really ready to assume thousands of dollars in student loans. So although colleges have had to raise prices due

It was my senior year in high school and graduation was inching closer and closer. My high school principal stood on the stage of our auditorium introducing me as the recipient of the Principals Hall of Fame Award. As he stated proudly “Desiree aspires to return to North Miami Beach Senior High to teach science” it was hard for me to conceal my shock. How had he misinterpreted my future plans into becoming an educator and even more, to returning to my high school? I was sure that this was all a misunderstanding and I would continue on towards becoming the Neonatologist I had always dreamed of, still connected to children but only in the first moments of their lives. Little did I know, my principal was more in tuned to my destiny than I thought. I look back on this moment and it supports my belief that education has always been my calling.