Negative Life Lesson

Life experiences bring knowledge to people. Having a lot of good and bad experiences helps us improve our way of thinking; it opens our minds and teaches us unforgettable lessons about life, lessons that we have to apply in the future. I have lived such a life experience in my last high school year. Along with 12th grade and turning up seventeen years old, I was going to become independent, ‘on my own feet’ as some would say. Time has taught me how to make fast decisions. Some of them were bad decisions, some were good. It was a very difficult period for me, as I was forced to fight against time, stress, hidden emotions and most importantly, I had to choose the road to follow for my career. The final exam was a hard challenge. There were times I felt I would quit; times of weakness when I searched for peace in a cigarette without thinking it can make me dependent, all these times I was teaching a great lesson: maturity! I realized I wasn’t a kid anymore and that my own destiny can be influenced by a simple decision. This experience made me learn what truly means making sacrifices for achieving your goals. I gave up my free time to replace it with hard working, interminable tiredness and meditations. It wasn’t an easy sacrifice, as desperation said her word in some moments. But the most important thing is the positive lesson it taught me, that is, never give up fighting, no matter what happens because there is a hope for everything in life, and losing it doesn’t bring you close to your goals. I have lost some of my friends for being able to reach on top, and this thing taught me what true friendship really meant and that some people we see as friends can turn out to be our worst enemies. However, I learnt that telling everything about yourself can only bring bad things, because you can never know how a relationship can turn out between people. I can say I found myself again in this last high school year, rediscovered my ambition and passion for the things I do and I even regained my patience. I also had happy moments when I met new friends that I wasn’t hoping for and that gave me strength to continue. In conclusion, every life experience can teach you something and you don’t have to be afraid of experiencing it because there is a whole life ahead waiting for you to live it.

Reminiscing

My two friends and I have been together for almost about 10 years. I met them one year apart from each other before we came together as a trio. I met one of my friends in 2nd grade, her name was Ale and we both had a class together and I do not recall as many memories of how we became best friends but I know that we became close friends. My other friend, Leslie, I met in 3rd grade, we also had the same class together so that is how we both met. And if I can recall correctly we all became friends in 3rd grade too because we were all friends with each other so we stuck together. We like to have sleepovers at each other’s houses and before we go to sleep we start reminiscing about the past. There was this one time where in middle school we had a group of six friends and that was our little circle of friends. We would all hang out in the morning, during lunch, and after school. And slowly but surely there was some unnecessary drama starting to rile up between two people. And naturally no one wanted to take any sides because that would cause for more problems to start happening. But since no one was taking any sides one of the girls just left our friend group and then the same thing would happen all over again. The same situation kept on occurring until it was just Ale, Leslie, and I. In high school we made more friends that would add to our circle but they slowly started leaving too until the circle was just us three again. The first time that it happened was the moment when I realized that they are my two best friends and nothing is going to be able to separate us from each other. 

History

We all have been affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, the impact of the pandemic and its consequences are felt differently depending on our status as individuals and as members of society. While some try to adapt to working online, homeschooling their children and ordering food via Instacart, others have no choice but to be exposed to the virus while keeping society functioning. Our different social identities and the social groups we belong to determine our inclusion within society and, by extension, our vulnerability to epidemics. COVID-19 is killing people on a large scale. As of October 10, 2020, more than 7.7 million people across every state in the United States and its four territories had tested positive for COVID-19. According to the New York Times database, at least 213,876 people with the virus have died in the United States. However, these alarming numbers give us only half of the picture; a closer look at data by different social identities (such as class, gender, age, race, and medical history) shows that minorities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. These minorities in the United States are not having their right to health fulfilled. As I stated in the beginning students in school have been doing online learning and we are not able to experience our in school experience. For example, I of many am a senior in high school so this was my last school year. I was not able to have the whole senior experience, last homecoming, football game, pep rally, walk around the school, etc. It was sad to have my last year in high school on a computer screen, being on the computer screen all day for a week straight was straining for my eyes and it was pretty boring too. Without the coronavirus happening I would not have known that to take advantage of my last year in high school or even the little things in life. 

The Person I admire

I have always seen my life as nothing more than just ordinary. I am a person who has lived a not so complicated life and had really simple dreams to look up to. But everything changed when I met this person. This person was the most remarkable person I have ever met. From her vibes, down to the smallest detail about their personality, one may witness the exceeding confidence they exhibit all throughout their life. They have carefully planned their life the way they wanted it to be. They were simple yet lovable. They would do the things that could make her happy above anything else. They never allowed people to look down on them and prevent them from doing the things that they loved the most. I could say that they had the most impact on me. This person encouraged me to set goals and stove hard to be the best that I can be. Through their hard work and dedication, I was inspired to do the same thing. They are such a great influence in my life and have made me determined to study and acquire more goals for my upcoming future. Although I have only known this person for not that long I’d say a few months, I felt the great impact that they have left in my life. Regardless of how big and complicated things would get sometimes, this person had always had enough reasons to smile and continue on with life. I have started to be more cautious of my actions, and at the same time view life in a more positive way. Once they told me “Why don’t you try to do something big? Something that would make you feel good about yourself and the things you are capable of doing without having to feel the need to please others.” Although said in the most insignificant way, these were the words that stuck in my mind all the time. Every time I would feel bad about myself, I would recall these words.  

Advice

 From the moment you are born, everyone is always giving you advice and telling you how you should live your life. I always listen to others’ advice, but I do not always follow it. There has been one piece of advice I have followed since the day it has been given to me and will continue to follow for the rest of my life. From the moment I was able to comprehend what words meant, I can remember receiving one piece of advice from my parents, “as long as you do your best.” This advice was given to me in everything I did, from sports to school to my first job. I believe that this is good advice because it tells me that they trust my judgment and will respect my decisions and stand by me, even if I made the wrong ones. This helps to take pressure off of me when I am going to school because I don’t have to live up to being a straight A student and try to accomplish goals that are unattainable for me. Instead, I just do the best that I can and know my parents will love me regardless of what grade I receive in a test. When I go out to find a career, I’m not going to look for one which has the highest pay or has the most prestigious title. I’m going to find one which makes me happy and that fits into my ability. I don’t want to have to work the rest of my life at a job I hate. If my parents had told me, “to be the best” instead of “do your best”, my outlook on life might have been different. This is good because many kids have to live up to expectations that they can’t attain, or do something that they don’t really enjoy in order to make their parents proud. 

No Regrets

Regrets feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or missed opportunity). Something that I have not regretted during my four years in high school is joining the Color Guard. Color guard is a flag corps or teams of performers who perform choreographed dances and routines with various equipment to enhance and interpret the music of the marching band show. Color guard teams can be found in American colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools and independent drum corps. It was my 8th grade year in middle school and one of my friends suggested to me that I should join the color guard. Although I was very iffy about it because at the time I was involved in other sports and I had been playing those sports for about five years or so. But I took my friend’s suggestion and joined the color guard. I ended up making the team for the one season and I really enjoyed it so I tried out again for the second season hoping that I would make it to really see if it is worth staying in for. I ended up making the team for the second season and I really liked it so I continued all the way up to my final year of high school. This final year of high school has made me realize how much I enjoyed joining the color guard and did not regret my choice. I was able to experience and learn so many things while being in color guard. I also was able to meet new people and make new friends every year since every year more people would join the team. Joining the color guard is something that I will never regret for the rest of my life. I am very grateful for my friend for suggesting that I join the color guard.  

Object of a special memory

Almost everyone has an item that they hold dearly to their heart because it holds a very special memory. For me an item that holds a significant memory would be my high school graduation cap and gown. My cap and gown symbolizes all my accomplishments, hard work, and dedication I put in my 12 years of school. From first grade to 6th grade I never thought that my school years would ever end and I was going to be in school forever. I also did not think that I was going to graduate from high school because the teachers would always talk about how hard school is going to get throughout the years making me think I would not make it. I would envy all the smart kids thinking that they were all going to make it because they are smart and have all high grades. I would still try my very hardest in school to try to catch up to all the smart kids. Then when I finally graduated elementary school I was not mentally prepared to go into middle school but during middle school I was kind of a breeze. The school work was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. But again, I did not slack off for even one bit and I tried to still get high grades and surpass all the “smart kids”. I was excited to finally move on to high school because in middle school I was getting an honor roll. Then high school finally rolled in and my grades were very much improving and from taking regular classes to college dual credit classes. I was not able to surpass all the “smart kids” but I was able to be at least one step behind them. All my hard work and dedication has finally paid off. 

People that meant the most to me

High school was a very stressful time for me and I am sure for others as well. I was able to have the same friends throughout my four years of high school and I am very grateful for that. They were able to make my high school experience enjoyable and amusing. Everything I woke up in the morning to get ready and go to school, it felt like such a drag. All I wanted to do was go back to sleep and not have to go to school at all. I also had to wake up extra early in the mornings sometimes because I had practice for my extra curricular activity. I did not even want to go to those practices because I was so tired and I had the feeling that it was going to be a very boring practice. But my friends would make my mornings fun because we were always joking around and having a good time. I had them for most of my classes and we were also involved in the same extracurricular activities. It isn’t easy making a best friend these days. A number of obstacles can get in the way as a kid tries to cultivate strong friendship bonds. Friendships are not just playmates, they help people learn social skills – such as how to communicate, cooperate and solve problems. They practice controlling their emotions and responding to the emotions of others. They develop the ability to think through and negotiate different situations that arise in their relationships. Having friends tends to make people have better attitudes about school and learning when they have their good friends there. My friends and I have literally grown up together, eating each other’s lunch, listening to the same kind of music, hating the same kind of people and literally scoring almost the same marks. We have often covered for each other, done homework for each other and have bunked classes in the absence of one another. All these memories and moments have defined and shaped who I am today.

Goodbye high school: hello real-life responsibilities

Goodbye high school: hello real-life responsibilities. After high school I am going to college to try to start on my career. Going off to college feels like an exciting time, however, it does involve major lifestyle changes. I have been told that one’s first year of college can be intimidating no matter what age he or she is. While this new atmosphere can be challenging and demanding at times, there are ways to ease the transition so one’s college experience can begin in the best way. There are many people whose first year of college is a nightmare, but it does not have to be; with preparation and organization, college can be effective and beneficial. I have also been told that during the hectic first year of college, freshmen are thrown into a new life and expected to know how everything works. Suddenly, there are no parents hovering around to monitor every move and remind you of your responsibilities. Classes are in different buildings and on different days, and many teachers do not take attendance. At the same time, everything is new, including the thousands of people surrounding you. The best ways to adapt are to make the goal of getting out of your comfort zone by joining clubs, a sport, or other groups. Some advice that I was given is that since it would be the first time you have been away from home; do not be afraid to call your parents and check in with your friends because they are always there to listen or lend some advice. Take one day at a time and be yourself. You may feel like you are not as smart or talented as the people you meet but that is not true; you have something to add to the table too. College is a time for experiences and learning where I will have fun and possibly make mistakes. I will not forget to cherish every minute because time will pass before I know it, and I will be a college graduate looking for what is next in your hopeful and exciting future.