It was just the beginning of my high school life. I was just a snotty-nosed 8th grader, stepping into a whole new world. It was nothing like middle school. I didn’t know anything about high school, or how it worked. I didn’t know that by just thinking to myself, “oh this is going to be so cool and awesome. I’m going to be so popular! ” That I was setting myself up for failure. At the beginning of my freshman year, I was extremely shy. I was living in Lancaster, and going to Antelope Valley High School. I wasn’t on track at all. I was just worrying about being cool, and hanging out with my friends.
I was trying to break out of my shell. Not knowing that those little things were going to affect me throughout my high school life. Growing up I didn’t have a role model, or someone to look up to. Mostly everyone in my family didn’t even have a high school diploma, or even attempted to pass the eighth grade. I remember one day, in the third grade, I had came home from school. I just had learned something new in math that day. The teacher gave us homework, and it was so hard at the time, and I didn’t understand it. So I decided to go home and ask for help. When I got home, I sat down and called my mom over to help me.
She came, but didn’t even attempt to help me. All she told me was to go ask my dad, so I did. Went to him, he told me to ask my sister. Each time I ask for help, they would send me off to someone else. After ten minutes of that I got frustrated, and so I decided to go next door to my best friend’s house, and just do my homework with her. Besides my best friend, I didn’t have any motivation in my life. I didn’t know anything about high school. Maybe one or two of my older friends, that was already in high school, only told me not to mess up in the ninth grade, or it would mess me up throughout high school.
They never told me about credits, they never told me about a lot of things. Knowing myself, and knowing them, I thought they were just trying to scare me. I found out that they were telling the truth. So it was August, 6, 2012. The day I became an official freshman in high school. The first day of school, I wasn’t nervous at all because I knew a lot knew a lot of people from middle school. I’m walking down the hallways, greeting friends, giving people hugs; what I had seen cool people do. I went to go get my schedule, to see what classes I had. I looked at it, and met up with my friend.
We almost had the same classes together. I was so happy! We only had like 3 classes with each other. My favorite period that I always looked forward to, was health class. Almost everyone we knew was in there. Nobody could get any work done. I remember me and my friends use to just look at each other, and just start laughing for no apparent reason. That went on for the whole semester. That’s exactly what we did. We weren’t worried about our grades at all. I still can’t believe that I turned out to be that kind of girl. I’m still ashamed to this day, that I ever did something that stupid before.
Throughout middle school I was an A & B student. Didn’t get into trouble often, never got suspended a day in my life. I was a smart little girl. The thing is, I’m just now noticing no one stays the same forever. Sometimes people’s personalities can change quickly. I thought I would never change; I would always be that innocent daddy’s girl. Until reality hit, like a blink of an eye. Freshman year, I passed with only 10 credits out of 60. I didn’t know what credits were at the time, so I didn’t care. All I was worried about was having fun with my friends.
I broke out of my shell a little more, by this time. I smoking weed, drinking a little bit, and stealing. I was trying to fit in with society, when I should’ve just been myself. So that’s exactly what I did. Summer flew by, now I was a sophomore ready to do this. First semester came, and I passed it with flying colors. Twenty-five credits easy. Second semester came, and oh boy. My friends started to come back around, and we started hanging out again, but I wasn’t smoking or drinking. That isn’t my style, and it never was to begin with. I was just chilling.
Hanging out not doing anything; I was just failing again, like I did in ninth grade. I then failed the second semester of tenth grade. I was just about to enter the eleventh grade with only thirty-five credits, when I was supposed to have 115. I was so ashamed of myself, that I just had to go. I moved back with my dad, because I was living with my mom at the time. When I moved back with him. I felt comfortable at the new high school. Junior year came, and I was more mature. Now, I know what credits, and the SAT are. I know a lot more now than when I first started, I’m just doing so well.
I was that same A & B student as I was in middle school. Had awesome friends that kept me going, and were not a bad influence on me at all. They are the ones that motivated me to do the best I can. That’s why I love all of my friends. If it wasn’t for them encouraging me, I wouldn’t be the intelligent lady that I am today. So I have to thank them for that. Passing high school, and graduating on time is so important to me. My mom has five kids, and three out of them didn’t graduate. I want to graduate for my entire family, so that the next generation to come has someone to look up to, and call a role model.
As I’m growing up, I started to realize how important life really is. When I get older, my dream job is to become a nurse. Ever since I was little, I always loved to help people once I stepped out of my shell. Although I still have a lot of holes to patch up in my credits, I’ll get through them. A lot of people doubt me. I will prove not only to myself, but every single person who doubted me, that I’m going to graduate on time. I will be successful in life, and make it to where I want to be. Goodbye junior year, and hello senior year.
