I am not a valedictorian. I am not a class president. And I am not a homecoming queen. However, I hope to believe that I may still be appreciated for the smiles I have shared and the lives I have touched. I may have entered high school reserved and demure, but I am proud to say that I am leaving high school a strong, confident, and determined young lady. I am proud to be a (nearly) perfect paradox of half a million adjectives, all which make me, me.

I am a dreamer who spends too much time thinking about the future and not enough time thinking about today. I am a perfectionist who spends too much time worrying about the details and not enough time looking at the big picture. I am a writer who finds that words flow more smoothly through her pen than through her voice. I am a bookworm who gets too attached to fictional characters. I am a sister who sees all the promise that the future holds in her sister’s faces. I am a daughter who loves to spend a holiday or weekend with her family. I am a romantic who spends many hours toiling over the details of her wedding, before she has found someone to wed. I am an American who loves the freedom of her country, and who values the sacrifices made to maintain it. I am an aesthete who loses her breath when she walks into a cathedral or watches a sunset. I am a student who cannot wait until the next discussion in her European History or Biology class in the hopes of learning something new. I am a Catholic who constantly starves for more information regarding her faith and the rich tradition it holds. I am a violist who thrives off the emotion that circulates through an orchestra as they crescendo to the climax of a piece. I am a ballerina who loves the feeling of complete control over her body and the feeling of complete unison between her and the other dancers. I am a leader who loves watching a group of her peers learn and grow from the advice she was able to bestow to them. I am an optimist who will bet her bottom dollar that all problems can be solved … eventually. I am an introvert who loves the peace and quiet that a day alone can hold. I am an extrovert who knows that a few hours with her friends can always lift her spirits. I am an idealist who strives for perfection in all she does. I am an adventurer who can hardly wait for the day that she gets to backpack across Europe. I am an individual who will always follow her heart over the desires of others.
In addition to my growth as a person, I have taken many of the AP classes that my school offers, specialized in the science and health related classes, and have tried my hardest in all that I have done. However, my transcript already conveys this and therefore it would be pointless for me to simply reiterate this here. More importantly, it in no way separates me from the thousands of extraordinarily talented applicants that I am being compared to. What I hope sets me apart, is that in high school, not only did I concentrate on becoming an educated individual and cultivating myself academically, but I also have tried to grow to be a well rounded person in all areas of my life.
When looking back on the past four years of high school, I am equally pleased and shocked by my growth as an individual. And now, as this chapter of my life comes to an end, I can not help but look forward to and be excited by the new challenges and adventures that college has to offer me. These new experiences will continue my individual development and further my love of learning. This next step in my life is one that I am ready for and excited to take.