Journals
The Outline of my High School Career
It came sooner than expected but we’re halfway through our senior year. All these preparations for our senior project did not seem to phase me at all; I managed to complete all of the work. Though I struggled meeting some of the deadlines, I realized that I needed to ask for the assignments on my own to be sure that I’d be able to complete everything for Early Completion. I am constantly being reminded of the fact that Senior Exit Interviews are fast approaching and I cannot grasp the fact that this is the home stretch. Our first semester is pretty much over and it seems that we've only been in school for a few weeks. I will admit this semester has been the most stressful to the point of me being calm. My constant and neutral state was created by the stress I have accumulated throughout the years and it has really taken a toll this year. All motivation has been completely drained out of me and I struggle to make myself want to finish the work required of me. With only a week left, I worry I will not be able to complete everything but with the way i’ve kicked into the right gear, I hope and plan to do all work as it gets assigned because it really came back to haunt me this semester. I do not think I have ever worked this hard or stressed so much over my grades my entire high school career. From now on, I'm pretty confident in myself that I will hold myself accountable to finish everything before deadlines. Now all that's left to worry about is whether or not I got accepted into any of the universities I have applied to. High school has indeed been an experience and I do not think I would trade out any of it for it has helped mold me to who I am now.
0 Comments
This year has been like no other. I struggled more than I ever have throughout my high school career. For some reason, I simply could not get myself to do all of the work as it got assigned. Of course, this procrastination did not go unpunished in that I almost got put on AVID probation for being off pace in three classes for the majority of the year. Personally, I do not like to see any grades at or below a three so when I would turn in an assignments and EOTs receiving 2.5s and 3s, I simply did not know how to take it. The “I must have level 4s” mindset was completely taken away and I got to the point where I was just looking to pass the classes. Seeing a 4/7 and 5/7 pacing became a regular thing for me and I've realized that so much has changed because the class subjects did not come easy to me as they always have.
The courses I struggled with the most were my AP Spanish, English, and US History classes. Of course it was to be expected that I would struggle in those classes considering that they are advanced placement but I am not used to not being able to pass test the first try. Additionally, the frustration of not being able to excel at these classes as many of my peers did, go to me and I was unable to keep the motivation to work even harder. With time, I couldn't put the effort in anymore and eventually I was MTs behind in each of my AP classes. When it came time for semester grades to come out, I worked harder than I ever have before the entire month before the final due date for grades. For both semesters, I was able to finish all of my classes including the ones that I had fallen severely behind in. Now all think of is how relieved I am that I was able to finish the year with 3.5s and 4s in all of my classes and I can not seem to grasp the concept that I am almost done with highschool. Its safe to say that I am excited for next year especially since I will be the next ASB president and there will be much more involvement with the class considering that the majority are looking forward to graduation. Graduation, acceptance and rejection letters, scholarship awards, senior events, and grad night are going to be the main things to look forward to before we take our step into the real world and face the realities of life. For the most part, I am excited but I’m terrified at the same time. There's no going back now. Three years down and another to go before it's time to take classes that determine our future. It's time to kick it into gear and mentally prepare for college and get all my files together for applications in October. It is the third week of school and I am already stressed out for the rest of the year. I have had homework every day, starting the last day of my Sophomore year. On the bright side, I know that I can rely on the close friends to help me get through all of the stresses of my three AP classes. Over the summer I was able to form an even stronger relationship with a few of my friends.
On the first Monday of our summer vacation, my friends, Mayra, Lupe, Daniel and I took a summer class at COS where we spent six weeks in a college class. Every day, we would rely on each other for help with the homework assignments and we trusted each other to do individual research for our group assignments. For four days a week, Monday through Thursday, we would all meet up at 5am and go to COS and we would be in classrooms and receiving lectures until 3pm. With this time, we were able to plan out our days, discuss what was on our syllabus, and take the time to really get to know each other. It wasn't until our summer course was over that we really started to bond. On the last day, our class ended early and we, along with our TRiO group, went on a three day trip up north to explore the different universities. We went on a number of "adventures" and they came to realize how fearful I am of a lot of things when they saw my reactions to the rides we went on when we spent the day at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This summer was by far the most memorable of all and I know for a fact that the strong bonds we created will last for a long time. Because of the many things we learned and the work we did at COS, we understood the importance of completing and turning in work as is gets assigned rather than waiting to turn it in by the syllabus date. There was a time that I procrastinated and I did not get any sleep because I was up all night finishing up my eight page essay on GMOs. When my friends found this out, they did not allow me to do anything besides homework and they would constantly check in with me to be sure I got the homework completed. Even when our class was over, my three friends continued to be there for me and make sure that I was getting my AP US History homework completed. What I appreciated and was most grateful over the summer, is that we all made a packed to be there for eachother and push each other so we can get into the college of our dreams. Thanks to these friends, I am pushing myself as much as I can to complete all of my work for this semester, and they are helping me get through the stresses I have already encountered as the year began. I believe that it's safe to say that I am ready to take on my Junior year with full force and I know it will be a success as long as I maintain this healthy, beneficial relationship with my friends. For the most part, I am excited for what is yet to come, but I have never been more nervous or fearful for anything like the way I am for our rapidly approaching test days that determine what universities we will qualify for. I have high hopes for this year so all I have to do is keep a strong head and build upon the skills I have developed over the last couple of years of high school. After two years being at Lindsay High school, I have come to realize that my years as an adolescent are almost over and it is important to be prepared for what is yet to come. Looking back on this year as well as my freshman year, the most memorable times I had were when I spent time with my “AVID family” as well as my “AVID cousins” who are two years older than us and getting ready to graduate. Seeing them prepare for the real world and move on to bigger and better things provides me with the inspiration and motivation I need to be able to look at myself and say “I want to be in their shoes when I graduate and be able to attend a four year university, with equal or more scholarships they received.” Being close to a class that has basically completed their four years of high school, has severed to be very beneficial due to the fact that they were able to provide me with the advice I will need to know in order to survive my remaining two years here at Lindsay High. One piece of advice I will continue to carry with me is: “it only gets harder from here so keep at it and you will be able to live the life you are dreaming of.” I find this advice to be very significant because not only does it apply to LHS, but it also pertains to the real world in the sense that no matter what, life will throw some very difficult obstacles our way but as long as we continue to work at it, we will surely succeed in life. I do believe that the friends I have made though our “AVID families” will be ones that I will look back on and be forever thankful for giving me the motivation I need to go to the college of my dreams. After considering the number of schools my AVID cousins were accepted to, I do believe that if I begin to work even harder and push myself much more, I will be able to achieve as much as they have. As my Sophomore year comes to an end, I am realizing that I could have done so much more and I should have pushed myself to get involved with school activities such as clubs and attending sporting events. Luckily, I was able to realize this before it was too late and now I have set new goals for myself to attain for next year. For my junior year, I hope to be involved with class office, ASB, and be involved in at least four clubs if I decide that I will not be able to take on a sport. There are a number of reasons why I find it important to be involved with school but the main reasons are: to be able to be a part of the school environment in order to enjoy my remaining years there, and to be able to make a difference in the school whether they be minor changes for the class or changing something for the whole school. In addition to getting the satisfaction of being a part of the school, staying involved and helping organize events will look good on college applications which played a major role in the acceptance of a lot of my AVID cousins. I will carry their advice with me for the remainder of my highschool career and some, I will carry with me forever because the relationships and bonds we have created will be will us so long as we allow it to remain in our hearts.
|
AuthorNatalia Vasquez- Archives
December 2016
Categories |