Personal Narrative: My Year In High School

During my Sophomore year I interned with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. As an intern I trained and recruited volunteers, registered people of all parties to vote, canvassed and phone-banked for the 2016 Presidential election, ensured that voters had transportation to their polling place, and watched the polling locations to ensure the safety of all voters.

It was during my Sophomore year in high school that I was failing classes like math and science. My parents and I where very concerned about what to do and what help I needed to get. So they decided to test me to asses where I was academically, and to gauge the ways to get me where I wanted. The results of this test concluded that in subjects like math and science along with reading. I was still on a middle school level, and on a fifth grade level in math yes I said fifth grade.

Being a freshman is the hardest of your four years in high school. Have you ever been pressured to be the best person you can be? This is how my year was as a freshman. Freshman year was the most different I never thought I would of found my way around the school when I first started to go there. Freshman year was the best year throughout my years of high school and it was the only year I had friends. During this year I had a lot of anxieties which dealt with me thinking I’m gonna be alone and not have any friends throughout the year to support me through the whole thing. Also, I would think of the pressure of not doing good in any of my classes so I would think it would affect my GPA in the future. The transition from middle school to high school was a different type of thing to do.

Over my years attending high school I feel like I have grown personally and academically. I have learned to ask for help when needed and to actually get the help I need. When I was a sophomore I really did not mind getting a C in my classes but not having a C in any of my classes doesn't feel good. I now check up and stay up to date with my grades more than before. I feel like this year I have realized how important it is to do the best you can and achieve good grades. I would say that a C would really affect me but I would not try the best to bring it up.

After freshman year, I put the past behind me. Being the positive and optimistic student athlete that I was, little did I know that soccer was not in my future for my sophomore year of high school. I've always adored playing sports, but to be able to represent my school would be outstanding. Getting cut from the middle school soccer team multiple seasons really made an impact in my life. Countless hours of training finally led to the one moment I have always waited for. The coach handed me the small, terrifying paper which for once, was not so terrifying. Markings within the paper signaled that I had made the freshman soccer team, sparking new hope in my future with the sport. Having the most ideal soccer season that I have ever had led me to try out the following season as a sophomore.

When I was in 6th grade I was a good student, I had straight A’s the first 3 quarters, I turned in all of my work, and always paid attention in class. But as the year went by and I started making more friends at middle school my grades went down all the way to a C. For me getting a C at the time was one of the worst things that could happen. I ended up the year with 3 semesters of straight A’s and one semester with a couple of C’s. Moving on to 7th grade was worse I finished the school year with only getting like 5 A’s in all 4 quarters. Then 8th grade came and my grades went all the way down to an F, but I managed to bring back up to at least a C to be able to graduate. I wasn’t happy with my grades though so I told myself that I was going to bring them up in high school.

Do you believe in bad luck? I'm not talking about just walking under a ladder, or spilling table salt. Rather, sometimes in your life you just run into a tough patch and must persevere through it. This is a very good description of my physical health during my Junior year of high school. You see I broke three bones in a span of 8 weeks, and they were all during athletic endeavors. I broke my right leg playing in a football game, and I broke both bones in my left forearm playing in a basketball game.

I lived in multiple neighborhoods growing up. I never lived in one place for a long period of time. So I had to get used to a new environment, a new school, etc., every couple years. I went to three different elementary schools and two different high schools. The only time my family and I stayed in a house for a long time, was during my middle school years. I stayed for half of my 5th grade year until the end of 8th grade. That was the only time I didn’t have to meet new people and get used to the environment I was in.

Ever felt that your best wasn’t good enough? That's exactly what I felt during my years in middle and high school. Growing up enjoying animated shows and doodling in my notebook, I had a breakthrough. Though it came to me in my first year of middle school, or at least as far back as I can remember, I wanted to grow up as an artist. As the years went by I narrowed my dream-job to be an animator, then finally to what I’m studying now (graphic design). As I grew and learned, I eventually succumbed to self pity and doubt. That went on till my last year in high school where I learned better. These days, I’m bettering myself by doing more and practicing more often with my art. I also grasped the idea of not letting the negative thoughts stop me from

"In school you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson." A quote I came across the summer before my senior year of high school from Tom Bodett, an American author. This quote hit me hard because it's 100% true. Knowing you come across trials and tribulations. It can be physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally draining. No matter how you are effected by it God wouldn't put you in a situation he knows you can't get out of which is the test. The lesson is learning from that situation and adapting so you can proven it from happening again. Since then I been looking at life like a timeless final exam. Every problem in my life I take time and work it out and break it down to make

As I sit here writing this essay on my phone rather than a computer screen, I am coping with one of my set backs. As the product of an African couple, I grew up learning the African culture and way of life. As I began my high school journey my parents began their separation journey. They had decided that they no longer could live in the same house together. They decided 21 years together was enough and they wouldn't bear another minute. I know what you are thinking many children deal with this heartbreaking experience, but what made it extremely hard for me was my ethnicity. Up until this I had loved being African but after I saw the way they treated someone that they once loved my perspective had been changed for good. Something as simple as paying a speeding ticket they would not dare

I have always enjoyed playing sports, I’ve played Varsity Soccer and Lacrosse since my Freshman year of high school, but since Freshman year, it has become increasingly difficult to balance academics, sports, and other extracurricular activities. First semester of Junior year I watched many of my friends come to school completely exhausted, only looking forward to going home and going to sleep, numb to the idea of having to sit in a classroom for seven hours, go play championship games, and then go home to at least three hours of homework and studying. I too was being affected by the expectations that were set before us, waiting for the day that I would crack under the pressure. When I did crack, it was after playing in a three-hour soccer

It was - and still is - more of a painfully slow transformation than an instantaneous alteration. The shift from “too crave to even talk to the teacher” to “can interject across the room sometimes” marked the start of my growth to becoming a full fledge adult.

Before I started high school, I thought I wouldn’t change much as a person. Now, I know that isn’t the case anymore because I developed anxiety during my first year of high school. Since then, I have to deal with it everyday. It’s not as bad as it once was but I think it has definitely changed me.

This school year stated off a little shaky for me. On the first day, I went to the wrong classroom- twice. That was very discouraging. When I was lost and confused I realized that there were many people around who were able to help me. I knew that I had to put myself out there and ask for help when I needed it. Having a different schedule every day was different for me. It took a week or two to really get it down and understand how to get to my classes. Also, having all of this free time is really liberating. Some people think it is dangerous to have so much time on their hands. I, however, really enjoy it. It is very nice to have time to get all of my schoolwork done and still have time to socialize and meet new people. I feel like I’m finally starting to get a grasp on the college lifestyle.