Graduation Speech On College And High School

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

Growing up, all I ever heard was the word college. From the old days of kinder garden and especially up until senior year of high school my entire life revolved around what college I wanted to go to. I believe that most people see a college education as a luxury, a grand accomplishment. There’s many different type of colleges to go to; community college, state universities, and so on. For me, the biggest thing is not where I go to college. For me, the biggest thing is simply to finish my college education and be able to walk across a stage and receive my diploma. A college education is valuable to me because it will help me in life. I will benefit from a college education career-wise, financially, and personally.

When I was in high school, I would hang out with my friends and they didn’t like to do their school work so I wouldn’t do mine. We would go hang out or sleep in class. I thought that I was cool because everyone knew who I was and would invite me to parties. I started to fail most of my classes and get into trouble because of the type of people that I chose to socialize with. I would tell jokes in class about the teacher and get sent to the office.

When my high school graduation came around in the year of 2013 I was not sure what would be the next step in life after high school. I was undecided whether I would go to college. I didn 't feel I was college material since I honestly did not do that well my last couple years of high school. I figured I would just learn to paint cars like my dad. I was working for my dad during that same summer after I graduated and I completely changed my mind on college. Going home in dust and grime everyday wasn 't the future I saw for myself. I wasn 't ashamed, but I was advised by everyone to go to college. I began to see the value in attaining a college degree, but I especially began to believe in myself.

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.

As a freshman in high school, school was my least favorite place to be and I also dislike going to class. My grades were inadequate by the time I was a sophomore. Toward the end of my sophomore year I met Dawn Pollman Kivlehan who is a teacher at Fowler High School. She is the head of the ESL (English as a Second Language) department. Mrs. Kivlehan was born and raised in Syracuse, New York and lived in a neighborhood called Tipperary Hill. She enjoyed in spending time with her family, listening to music and watching Fowler soccer. She had a bad habit of drinking Diet Pepsi every morning. I remember every morning she drinks Pepsi. She played field hockey in college and basketball in her early age. Her eyes changes color depending on the clothes she wears and, then green when she’s upset. Mrs. Dawn is fashionable during the week she always dressed up except Fridays. Friday she wears her soccer t-shirts. (She really loves wearing sweatpants after work). Dawn Pollman Kivlehan is hardworking, helpful, and very beloved teacher. (I can really say that she is one of the hardest working person I know)

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

Attending college can be one of the biggest decisions in a person’s life. Admittedly, one of the biggest factors in attending college is typically finances. All student must consider where the money for tuition will come from and any debt that may be incurred in relation to his or her schooling. Some student’s families pay their tuition, while others need to pay for school themselves. Sure, there are grants and scholarships that a person can receive but they usually do not cover all the cost of attending college. Because of this, some self-paying students will need to finance at least part of their education. Students who need to finance their own education will also generally need to work while pursuing a degree. Besides the financial worries, a student needs to also consider the challenges in balancing the demands of work, family life and the course work in classes.

Early teenagers look forward to one thing during their final year in middle school, high school. Some high school graduates may consider those four years the best years of their life because of the minimal stress and care free living. The purpose that high school serves in the twenty first century is to prepare students for college. A few minor reasons for high school are preparation for the workforce, community building, and socialization. With approximately only twenty five percent of freshmen classes graduating, the high school education is in danger. A high school diploma in the twenty first century is a necessity. According to Koenig, “high school dropouts make $200,000 less than a high school graduate in a life span” (76). As poverty increases, the high school drop out rate is increasing as well. Many high school dropouts do not fully understand the importance of a high school diploma. The outcome of not receiving a high school diploma should be made visual through a students time spent in school. The high school education is in jeopardy because of family background, students themselves, and academics.

In the beginning of 8th grade we were asked to write a letter to ourselves explaining how our year was going so far. You were to write the letter, place it in an envelope and open it on the last day of school. Although it was a mandatory assignment, I enjoyed reading my opinions from the first couple days of school and I thought I would write one again. This week I completed my first week of high school, and I thought I would share my POV so that I could later look back on this and see how a “naive” freshman saw things.

When I decided to go back to college and get my degree, I was so determined to get started, I really didn’t think about what it would entail. Being ambitious and motivated, I decided to take four (4) classes on top of a busy schedule. Although the classes are divided into two classes each eight weeks it’s still a lot of work on a full-time schedule. I work full-time in the federal government as a Specialist Assistant to the Director in the Office of Legislation and I take care of my eighty-two (82) year old mom and seventeen (17) year old son. I also commute from Germantown to DC every day and most nights I don’t get home until 7:30 at night. I never knew what I was getting myself into I was just excited to get started. When I went to Frederick Community College, I took four (4) classes and received all A’s and made the Dean’s list but I took classes on campus. Given the fact that I received A’s in the past I just assumed that I could take four classes again and have the same result.

In the year 2012, I was supposed to be excited and proud of myself. 2012 was the year that I graduated from high school. During the time following up to my graduation I was living in the moment I was pumped up because I was going to be done with high school. High school is known for being the best time of anyone’s life, and indeed it was. Well the time came around for me to check out of all my classes and the final thing was to practice for the actual graduation. Life seem to change more and more it started to feel more and more real. I realize that I was no longer going to be a young teen I was growing up. I had to start to think about college and work all these things were running through my head as I was practicing for graduation. I decide to stop thinking about that and just enjoy the moment. Well the day finally came for the big day I had my graduation and let me tell you it felt so unreal I never seen so many proud parents cheer and yelling when they heard the child’s name being announced as they received their diploma.

In most jobs, when you apply there are requirements that you need to be able to be even considered a good candidate for the job and be hired. Did you graduate high school? Do you have a college degree? A 3.00 GPA or above? Previous experience for at least two years? Most guardians tell you to work hard in school to have a bright future. If you want to find a good job they suggest you to look what are the requirements to be able to even be consider. When you start high school in some schools they have already assigned you to who you will end up been. If you got high school credits when still in middle school then you are advanced you go in a certain group. The teachers always tell you what you need to be able to attend a University. The teacher do not advertise students to start at a community college but are constantly reminding you how important is to have a higher education. The high school institutions has allowed the negative stereotypes about the students that attend community colleges because they contribute to the negativity tours does students. This stereotypes lead to discrimination.

When a student enrolls into high school, there are several transitions to make. There are much more classes to take, people to meet, and goals to reach; including tests such as the SAT. The general high school experience can be overwhelming for some students. However, how well a student can succeed and will ever succeed will begin to be determined here. It is a priority that parents play a dramatic role in their child’s high school career. Parents and high school students nationwide of low socioeconomic class, low education level, or an unstable family should be informed of the long term benefits education has to offer because it would drastically decrease the rate of high school dropouts. High school dropout rates nationwide may be

Ahhhhh finally “College Life” has arrived. No more stress, less work, later classes, time to just sit back and relax. “Going to school will be easy” as some say. Well those that think that are setting themselves up for failure. “1 in 3 first-year students won’t make it back for sophomore year” and one of the mains is because of “academic struggles” (U.S. News). The ‘College Life” is not all that it is cut out to be. With new surroundings, unfamiliar faces, and new professors some first-time students tend to struggle getting through the first semester. Mrs. Amy Fox’s is one of the hardest classes Elizabethtown Community & Technical College has to over. This is an English 101 class that is mandatory for all students towards a degree. Though she is not the only professor teaching English 101, many students take her class and some say it can be pretty challenging. Mrs. Fox’s class is hard because students must adjust to two teachers, the amount of work given, and the hybrid Fridays.