My High School Experience

I walk into a new place where I have never been before trying to find where i’m going next. I struggle to look for my friends in a commons area full of people. It doesn't help that my eyesight is very poor. I start walking straight into the commons in hopes to find someone. I finally find a group full of familiar people who had graduated two years ago from the school I went to. I go up to them and ask them where my classes are, if i have good teachers, and if anybody has the same classes that i do. Unfortunately none of them did but as i spot my better friends i say goodbye and head away from them. I walk up to my best friends alec and tyler they tell me “Gracie there's nothing to worry about, its college!” I figure that they are right but that doesn’t change the fact that it was only my first day and i had no idea who anybody was here. I was scared, i knew it was going to be way harder than high school. Both alec and tyler say they have the first class with me and it was 15 minutes to but they joked with me and said that it's almost mandatory to show up at least 5 minutes late to a college class. So of course it also made me nervous that they were going to be late to class. I had thought about all the times i got threatened for my attendance at the high school and how the teachers would make you go to ISS for the whole hour if you were even a minute late. I had millions of thoughts running through my head, who am i going to sit by? What if the teacher yells that we are

Many people think that I’ve got everything going for me. I’m captain of my school’s varsity cheerleading squad, I’m an honors student, I’ve got a talent that works for me, and I’ve got a bright future ahead of me. Few people understand that getting to where I am hasn’t been easy.

My high school experience could be compared to a roller coaster. At times, it seemed to only go down--with no tracks into the future. Other times there were unexpected twists and turns where all I could do was hold on for dear life and see where the ride would take me. Sometimes the crazy roller coaster ride ended abruptly while other times the ride seemed everlasting, never allowing me to catch a breath. Unlike a roller coaster, I can't go back and ride again, so I have to make the most of what I've got and move forward with a positive attitude into the future.

My mom and I were driving home from my club volleyball practice when I broke down in tears due to stress. High school class registration was coming up and I still had no idea whether or not I wanted to do band or volleyball in high school. Being a 14 year old in 8th grade, I never thought that I would have to make such a colossal decision that would affect my life forever. I only had 2 more days to decide how I would present myself in the new world of high school popularity, and I had no idea whether I would choose the life of athletics or musical talents.

My high school experience has been anything but average. I attend Plymouth Canton Educational Park, a campus of 6,300 students from three different high schools all coexisting and learning together. This environment has shaped me into who I am today. It has taught me the true meaning of friendship and teamwork, the importance of time management, and pursuing what I am passionate about. I believe these experiences have thoroughly prepared me for the college experience ahead.

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.

My high school years were enjoyable and they were the best years of my life. I was in a class of about eighty and I could call every one of them my brothers. Although I had a great time outside the classroom, I slacked off during my high school years and did not do the best I could have. I regret not taking full advantage of my high school and I miss those years more than any other period of my life. Academically, high school was a rough time for me. Battling with ADHD over the years was very normal to me, but it constantly got in the way of my schoolwork and caused countless daily distractions. Along with my ADHD, anxiety has also been a large issue for me. I am constantly worrying about things in the future that are not important

My overall high school experience has been okay. My high school experience wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst. I’ve had some good experiences in high school, and I’ve also had some bad experiences.

My first semester of college was preceded by doubts and anxiety, filled with opportunities and experiences, and followed by anticipation. This semester has been a amazing initial introduction into college life, I met some great people, got a job I like, attended a leadership retreat, got a internship, learned a lot, won tons of free stuff, gained independence, and maintained a high GPA. However, the best experience of this semester was finally accepting and enjoying the decision I made to attend UT Dallas. I remember during the Global Leadership Retreat we all decided to go down to the lake, and we sat on the pier in silence just being present and enjoying the opportunity. Lake Travis is a staple of my hometown of Austin, and I have never gotten to chance to sit back and enjoy it. This juxtaposition affirming that perhaps, for the time, this is where I am supposed to be. It was not just this one event in particular but rather a culminating sigh of relief when realizing that I made the right decision, I deserve to be here, and I a strong student.

One of the most successful experiences I have had in my previous years in school was taking nine science credits in four years. This might not sound like much of an accomplishment, but when you consider that the requirement to graduate from most schools is three it takes on a little more weight. The reason I did this was that I want to be a doctor and that drives me to learn as much about science as I can. My top strength from the Gallop test was empathy, this helped me to get nine science credits in that my empathy partly drives my desire to be a doctor. While taking the science classes taught me a lot that will be helpful in my profession, it also taught me how to study and manage my time wisely.

I am a gamer, a powerlifter, an inventor, a designer, a student. I enjoy my life currently, everything is very mellow and chilled. My life is moving at a phenomenal pace and soon I will be out of high school and into my college career. That is four years away though, my high school graduation and college level scholastic experience that is. That all will start with a <4 GPA that I intend to keep up with and graduate with.

Whats that? Don't you just love that sound? Ahhh the sound of school calling at 6:30 in the morning. And what school do you ask? High school of course! Now when you think of high school, what do you think of? The excitement, anticipation, or joy? I for one was one of those people who was ready to be a high school freshman. Like most, I craved that high school experience. As a child, I believed that high school musical was real and that my high school experience would be amazing, but truth be told it wasn’t as joyous as I’d thought. I can’t necessarily say that these years were my worst years, but they weren’t my best either. Truth be told the four years I’ve spent in high school were some of my most enlightening. I’ve learned so much about who Raesha was and who she wanted to be. Honestly, without the trials and tribulations of these four years, I doubt I would be here, at the illustrious Clark Atlanta University.

In the middle my 8th grade school year, I had to move and transfer schools. I was not at all pleased with this move because the new area that we lived in was completely different from what I was used to in my old neighborhood. Being at this new school, I spoke to a few people but I mostly just kept to myself. Until I met a girl named Morgan. We had to work together for a group math project. Once the project was over we still remain friends because our personalities were so similiar. She got me out of my comfort zone, showed me the ropes around the school, and even introduced me to a lot people that I eventually became friends with own my terms. Our conversations at school soon expanded to talking 24/7 at home. Later we realized that we lived about 5 minutes from each other and that made our friendship grow even more closer. By the time the school year came to an end we had become full blown bestfriends.

In my senior year of high school I took a ceramics class. One day the teacher invited a professional potter who taught us a convenient way of making pottery. This experience was significant, because it taught me something I never expected to gain from high school which was to broaden my horizons, and approach different subjects with an open mind. I ended up making many pieces at home using that technique.

Throughout my high school career, all I really knew was wrestling. The hard practices, making weight, and the camaraderie of all my teammates is all I cared about. I lived and breathed the sport, all thanks to a friend of mine that encouraged me to go to one practice Freshman year. Looking back now that I have graduated, like many other people I wish I could go back and do it again. I want one more match. But life goes on and I must keep going. Going through high school wrestling has shaped who I am today, the confidence I developed, the self-discipline, and the leadership qualities I learned. I am so glad I took on the sport.