When I stepped into the halls of ___________ High School, I thought that that was the beginning of my life. However, as high school commenced, I realized that it was really just a prologue to the life that I am ready to start now. High school is simply a preparation point where I have to work my hardest and stand out the most. This I learned the hard way. I was excited to leave high school and finally become what I wanted to be. I wanted to branch out, to leave and meet new people. I was thrilled to go off on my own with no parents, nothing holding me back. Conversely, as junior and senior year rolled around, fear had struck me.

I started to doubt myself and realize that I had no idea what I really wanted to do with my life. I was afraid that I would not be socially accepted in the school I choose to attend. Worst of all, I feared that I would not choose any college or university to apply for in time or that I just wouldn’t be accepted anywhere. Not only was the application process something that got to my head in a negative way, but so did an event that had a major setback on my work.

In the very beginning of this school year, only 3 days in, I got myself into a regretful situation. It was a Wednesday morning and I went to see a friend to watch the sunrise before school. It was about 3:30 a.m. and we were sitting outside next to my car. To our surprise, someone in a neighboring house had gotten in his truck and shown the headlights on us yelling at us to leave, which we agreed to do since he was rather intimidating. As we got into my car to leave, because we were in a cul-de-sac, he boxed us in and had called the cops on us. Since I had my license for only about 6 months and not a full year, I was charged for carrying a passenger and being out past curfew. This was the first time that I had ever got in serious trouble. For about two months, I was in the state of depression and had no one to turn to. I tried to keep everything to myself because I was not comfortable with talking about everything that had happened. I didn’t even like talking to the school’s psychologist and lied to him by saying everything was fine after just one session. Luckily, just this Monday (11/9/09), all charges were dropped and stressed regarding this situation could be forgotten. The only problem was that it was already two months in and my attendance and grades became atrocious. I was among the top 30% of my class but my rank had dropped by about 6 marks. For first quarter, I received a D for Honors Anatomy and Physiology, a D- for Advanced Pre-calculus, along with a C- in Advanced English. I felt like I was under a lot of stress and lost determination to do well in school. My classes this year do seem much easier than they have been in previous years, however I have chosen to slack off and not work to my fullest potential.

My anatomy teacher, who I also had sophomore year for biology, noticed my decline in work ethics and reported it to my class’s guidance counselor who confronted me. She put me back on track and made me realize that the last two months was not me.

With second quarter under way, my working habits have been much better especially now that I know what I want to do with my future. With Eastern Connecticut State University always being among my top choices, I have finally gotten my act together and decided to apply. I plan to take courses in the Graphic Design area. I choose to pursue a career regarding graphic design because I can express my ideas and thoughts in a creative way. I will strive my hardest to produce the best quality work as possible, working to my fullest potential. This is what I want and I know that now.