Personal Narrative: My Two Years Attending Oakland High School

Hello, I am Alina Chen. I was welcomed to the world by my parents in Manteca on September 14th, 2002. Throughout my whole life, I posses a more quiet personality that prefers to think through the conflicts and problems carefully. I enjoy trying my best in extracurricular activities like Math Olympiad and Pentathlon, in which I have participated two years straight in both. I have also joined in Student Government, otherwise known as student council, before, as treasurer. I live with my father, mother, and brother, and I believe that we are a fortunate and warm family.

One of my top battles with being very involved in many activities inside and outside school was becoming complacent. I constantly fought the urge to settle with either my grades, sports, or clubs. However, looking back at my high school career, I feel as though my grades show for themselves my hard work, that my community service hours speak for my involvement in clubs, and that my dedication and hard work in athletics show that I won the war against complacency. I have so much gratitude for Wilmington High School and the education I received here. Teachers have gone above and beyond to help us understand and truly learn the subjects we studied. Additionally, the staff at Wilmington High School has also taught me how to be a good leader and a thoughtful person. The attributes that I have been taught will help me beyond my education and into my future and field of work. I challenged myself with extra-curriculars, athletics, and honors classes knowing, that the courses I will take in college will be extremely

Trees whipped past Jim as he looked out of the window. Jim’s family was moving once again for his dad’s job. His family was moving to San Diego, California. Jim was fourteen turning fifteen in about a month. He was extremely skinny and weighed ninety pounds. Jim's parents were constantly wanting Jim to eat more to weigh more and hopefully in the long run grow more. Jim height is five feet four inches, he had short, straight brown hair. The aspect of Jim that distinguished him from most kids was his huge smile and a large mole on the back of his neck. Jim was extremely excited about the warm weather, beaches and new friends he would hopefully make. He was also a little bit sad about leaving his hacking buddy, Andrew in Bardwell, Kentucky.

My days at Hudson High School have been utterly normal; filled with chemistry labs, AP classes, and long essays. Though classes are hard and days are long, I do not feel the extreme stress of my studies as much as my fellow peers. Instead, I get my daily dose of stress from the girls’ bathroom.

My four years at Cardozo High school have been more negative than positive. Most times of high school I felt like I didn't have people who had my back. I felt like people attacked me for no apparent reason like for an example I have been cussed out, threatened, betrayed, ignored and taken advantage of. Freshman , Sophomore, Junior and Senior year was times that a lot of stuff happened to me that changed my perspective on peopleSo as a result, I didn't really enjoy high school all that much. Every day I attended Cardozo it caused so much stress and changed me in ways that I just don’t want to be bothered with people and not want to trust people anymore.

One of the worst choices I made was last year at the Burley High School. Last year I did not go to school much, I missed too many days and hardly ever handed in my homework. I was later signed out of school for the last two months of school. The best choices I made this year was come back to school and get a job. Nothing has really changed, but I know now that I will be getting money and will be getting better help from the teachers, being bored at my house is not going to be a problem. I am going to keep myself busy throughout the whole day. My family is also not going to be upset with me, they are going to be proud of me. The choice that I will make right now is that I will continue to go to school, I will not miss a lot of days in school.

I'm an immature rambling child at heart and I will most likely always be that way. Immaturity can sometimes be seen as a bad characteristic in people, but I find that to be absolutely false. I love being silly and weird because that's who I am and I don't plan on changing that aspect of myself just because i'm becoming an adult and moving on with my life. I made so many significant realizations during my years of high school. These realizations changed my outlook on life and my morals starting becoming more clear to me. I slowly started to see things differently for what they truly are. Im not saying Im some scholarly intellectual, but I am saying I'm not ignorant. My first realization was nearing the end of my sophomore year at Ravenwood High School.

Decisions that do not seem so transformative in hindsight turn out to be life changing. As I near graduation, I realized how instrumental Windham High School has been in my evolution from a timid freshman who was anxious of unfamiliar people and situations to a more courageous person excited to meet new people and challenges.

From the first ever day of Fort Hamilton High School to my senior year, I had changed so much. In the beginning, I was a nervous freshman with no friends and a horrible haircut, but now drama club became my life where I fit in a group crowded with fun broadway lovers, yet I still have a horrible haircut. Going from one year where I was very shy and Regents felt like that one awful friend that I somehow automatic befriended with to a year fill with stresses over college application mixed with comfort thanks to the beloving drama club. The school had shaped me into a person I wouldn't expect to become today and also impacted what I want to do in the future.

I decided to attend Oakton in the fall of 2013, because of my mother’s health and financial difficulties. I felt safe being close to home and being able to receive quality education . It was when I entered Oakton Community College that I discovered my true potential. My enormous inspiration for change came when I attended Oakton Orientation. During the student life session leaders informed us about opportunities to get involved .I heard someone say to my group “ Oakton is your second chance , if you didn’t do well in high school you can start all over at Oakton”. Ever since that day I was assured that I was going to bring out the best potential that I could possibly portray. I started my involvement at Oakton by being at events that Oakton Journey hosted. I was there so often that I was able to get the opportunity to be a Peer Mentor. I have been influenced by many positive faculty members, and professors at Oakton to reach for my full potential. A faculty member that has influenced me greatly is Beatriz Sparks. While working with Beatriz in Career Services and the Office of the Vice President, I learned to always think positive in every situation.

This is the beginning of my junior year at Memorial High School and I more and new goals that I want accomplish during this school year. My short term goals for this school year are completing homework on time, do more after school activities, and socialize more. Compared to last school year I’ve been getting more homework. As of right now, I have been turning in my assignments on time but, I’ve been taking a long time getting my homework done. With my house chores and homework, I have very little time to do other activities and get mind off school of a few. My chores aren’t really the problem it’ the homework. Sometimes I’ll spend like three hours doing homework and sometimes I won’t have time to my other personal things. Right now I’m trying

I am Gloria Carranza, I attend Porterville College. Throughout my education I have had bad experience in English and as the time went by English has not been my favorite subject. I think I don’t like English because it’s my second language and sometimes I have trouble communicating and writing papers for my English classes. My favorite subject is Math, since I was in seventh grade it has been my passion to learn and learn more about math than any other subject except Art. Art has helped me develop new ideas and picturing myself on becoming someone that could help other students in different ways. Art is one of my best things I enjoy doing in my life. It helps me develop my future by making a picture of all the things that I want to accomplish in my life.

As I stand before you today I can honestly say I made it. My four years of high school were filled with growth, adventure, loss, hope as well as determination. My time here at Vance has most definitely been an interesting one. In my time here I have made lifelong friends, memories and history, I can say we have come a long way as a school since my freshmen year. We have grown as a student body into one unit. We have been shown to use or voices and speak for others that can’t speak or defend them. My four years at Vance has prepared to me to know what I want and go for and that I can be whatever I set my mind to.

Someone once said, “ Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.” Anderson High School has made me the person I am today, no doubt. I entered high school a shy freshman and now I am leaving a independent confident person.

Now that I have completed my first semester of senior year, I feel like I have grown as an academic student and as a global citizen in many ways. However, I feel that the career hierarchy with Ms. Burnett has helped me grow as an academic student the most and the Rally in the Valley has helped me grow as a Global citizen the most.