My Experience At A Senior Year Of High School

It was freshman year in high school, and I was ecstatic about the fact that I can officially refer to myself as a high school student. However, not everything was perfect, nor filled with sunshine and rainbows. It was just two weeks into the school year when I faced my first arduous obstacle.

I remember the first day I started high school I was so nervous. As a kid I always remember I would had an anxiety problem for almost every little thing. I wake ever morning nauseated, even though there was nothing to worry about because I mean after all it was just school. I remember thinking damn I just got out of middle school here goes another 4 long school years. But what I didn’t know was that those years would go by so fast. After all like everyone says, a lot happens in 4years. On my first day everything was amazing. I had made new friends, so far I liked all my teachers, and I got into this Culinary Arts class that I didn’t even know I liked. I learned so much in Culinary, Everyday I would go in excited to see what I would learn the next.it amazed me so much I even started to help my mom cook, I learned so much in so little so that’s when I discovered I had a passion for learning how to cook and for food. I can honestly say I’m so glad I got into that class because now I know how to cook a little bit of Italian thanks to my culinary class and to wonderful godfather who is an excellent chef in New York City. I learn a lot from my mother who I’m forever thankful I just don’t tell her as much. Thanks to her I learn how to cook almost all kind of Mexican food, I learn how to be a little more responsible, I got into finishing my Diploma.

A tradition at my high school for the senior class is choosing a city to spend a few days in before graduation. My class chose to go to Baltimore, Maryland. We had an action packed four days going to Adventure Park USA, Six Flags, The National Aquarium, a Baltimore Orioles game, The Smithsonian Zoo, and shopped around downtown Baltimore. I became close with classmates I rarely talked with throughout high school and saw a different side of them than what I had seen in the classrooms. My small circle of friends became even closer over the course of the week both individually and spiritually. My senior class trip to Baltimore was a memorable trip, a little chaotic, but it brought us closer together.

High school is one of those times in life where most people have the best times of their lives, but for me I just wanted to get through it. Coming in freshman year I was done with the cattiness of the girls, the social pressures, and the monotony of school. Then I discovered the joy of ceramics! Ceramics was unlike any class I had taken in my entire life and had far reaching effects on my life. Ceramics kept me in high school by sparking my creativity and all of life’s possibilities. In high school I found joy in ceramics, found out what it was to no longer practice, and what it was like to start doing it again after thirteen years.

Almost 9 years ago, I was just an average teenager fresh out of high school, just living life with no responsibilities other than the mediocre restaurant job I obtained during my high school years and a girlfriend I have been with since the 11th grade. After my senior year of high school, things took a drastic change in my life, which took a toll on how I can live my life. I found out that I was going to be a father!

I remember being in elementary school watching, “That’s So Raven,” on Disney Channel, wishing I was already in high school like Raven so I can have the same pleasurable experiences as she did. As I grew older and wiser, I realized “That’s So Raven,” was a fantasy and life is not that easy. Although I had challenges throughout my academic journey; my successes did outweigh my failures.

Currently, my academic journey has been filled with very difficult trials and tests of my resilience. During high school, I was not very motivated or responsible when it came to academics. I did not believe in my intellectual capabilities and did not consider college as an option for me. None of my friends or family had been to college; so I did not see it as a likely avenue for me as well. In my experience, graduating high school was a major accomplishment within my family and nothing more was expected of you. After graduation, I realized that I did not want to work at my physically intensive job anymore and discovered I should work with my brain instead of my back. Consequently, I enrolled at the local community college and took a full schedule. It was difficult, because I had very little guidance and had to figure everything out on my own. I had to motivate myself continue and not become despaired or frustrated by being unfamiliar with the process. I had to re-learn how to manage my time and study efficiently, since I worked full time and had to fit everything into a tight schedule. With the help of some very intelligent and caring professors, I found my academic potential and learned the necessary skills to compete in a university setting. Eventually, I received my Associate of Arts degree and immediately transferred to The University of Colorado Denver.

When I entered ninth grade, I was someone totally different from the person I am today. The experiences I have gained during these long four years of high school have shaped me into the young adult I am. I have had to learn many lessons about myself and friends. Many failures have had to be taken in stride, and I am glad to say that I overcome and dealt with them all in the name of evolution.

Before graduating elementary and jumping into middle school my homeroom adviser always advises us to try and enter the school program in this particular high school. The thing is to enter the program you need to take an entrance exam and get at least 85% on it. The first week of May 2012 my mom and I went to my elementary school to collect my transcripts that I needed to enroll for grade 7. At that moment and for the last time I saw my grade 6 teachers. Upon getting my transcripts I can hear my grade six teachers asking my mom if I will take the entrance exam.

My path at the University of Virginia has been a challenge and an enjoyment at the same time. On my first day, I feared that I would not fit in because there were students who came from areas with better education than my high school offered, and the class sizes would be way larger than what I am used too. In high school, there was never a challenge, and teachers held students’ hands all four years. Furthermore, this made me worry about my studying skills and how I would approach my studies if they become complicated. This was important to me because I was not used to making my own notes based off a teacher lecturing the whole entire class or not copying word-for-word off of a PowerPoint. I wondered why I was selected for the transition program, but I was very excited to start my studies off early and be prepared before the rest of the students moved on grounds. With the amount of work that we were assigned each night and the intensive class’ speed, I struggled with managing my time. I felt guilty for not being able to finish all of the reading that was assigned, and I felt like I was doing something wrong. The days flew by, and I suddenly felt like there was not enough time in the day to even eat. After talking to my graduate advisor, Sara Brickman, she explained that sometimes there is not enough of time to finished all of the readings that professor may give and not to stress it. The summer sessions taught me how to use my time better and prioritize my responsibilities.

In my senior year of highschool I was pretty productive. When I say productive I mean academically, financially, and even socially. I was a student teacher for a 7th grade Science class, a crew member at chipotle, and I played varsity basketball for my highschool team. So, my schedule was really jampacked. It was really challenging towards the beginning of the year because not only did I have those jobs and extracurricular activities but, I have a 5 year old demon of a brother that I also had babysit. Applying to college wasn’t easy at all because I had no support system. By no support system I mean my parents had no idea how the process was to be done so, I got no help from no one when it came to applications or even fafsa deadlines. These couple of months were the most stressful in my entire life not only did I have to worry about my daily life and current classes but, I had to make an effort in placing myself at a good college. My grades actually weren’t negatively affected by this lifestyle which really surprised me to be honest. I took advantage of weekends to hang out with friends and family and have fun but, when it came to the weekdays I was fully booked. I would get home really late from working on the line at chipotle so, my sleeping schedule was not good at all. This made me come to class late and start slacking in some classes that I didn’t as much as my core classes. This was how my first semester of highschool went.

It was a typical Thursday just like any other, or so I though. This happened senior year of high school. I never knew that one day could change my life so much. I went from being excited about all my senior activities, to worrying about my health and if I was going to be okay or not.

Freshman year finally came around and I reeked of excitement. I planned to take advanced classes and participate in the Prosper High School marching band, along with my best friends. We were eager to meet new people, but terrified to be the new freshman on campus. For most of us, our schedules coincided; we believed our teachers had a lot coming. However, the strict high school teachers prohibited talking, so my classes were quiet besides the popular kids, who could do whatever they pleased. I never fit in with the popular kids, but I could not figure out why. Over the years of attending Prosper schools, I convinced myself I did not fit in with the popular kids because I lacked the looks and money, which killed all the confidence I had.

As much as I would like to claim that today was a regular day, it wasn't. With me getting ready for my college applications and personal essay, I had a lot on my mind, and the last thing I needed was another confused teammates adding to my worries. Sitting on the bleachers and I quietly working my outline for my college essay, my little cousin ran into the gym crying. We, the Obi, prided ourselves on being manly, smart, pride, understanding and thick-skinned and there was only one thing that could make him cry, and that was him getting taunted about his accent.

It all started in middle school I got suspended a lot of times for arguing with my teachers. I would argue with my teacher about the smallest things such as talking while they were talking. It made me feel like they never understood why I talked all the time. I always tried to solve problems and most teachers didn’t agree. One time I disrespected my teacher and as a result I got sent to the principal’s office. Walking to the principal office I thought about how close my principal and I were. The walked seemed extra long because I would look back to see the small narrow hallway behind me. My principal understood me and always listened to what I had to say. Even though we were close I never wanted to face the consequences he gave me.