Succeeding in school is a difficult challenge for me. Entering high school, thoughts of graduation were the least of my concerns, but with a blink of an eye, it’s already my senior year. High school was a big change from junior high, there were more people, the school was twice as big, and I could feel myself changing too. My first three years of high school, I was a very different person than I am today. I was naïve, rebellious, and clueless to the repercussions of my actions. My attitude was poor and my grades were worse. I think my teachers would have labeled me as a lost cause. By the time I entered my junior year I could feel myself maturing. Now I am confident, secure, and determined to go to college. There are things in life I want. I didn’t want the reputation I had earned thus far. So I began to re-invent myself.

My goal now is to graduate from high school. Unfortunately I do not have older siblings or even family members’ footsteps to follow in, because I will be the first in my family to go to college. My grandparents lived in Puerto Rico, and weren’t fortunate enough to continue past the sixth grade. This has motivated me to take full advantage of any and all learning experiences. Also, my mother and aunt dropped out their junior years to have their children. There decision has made me chose to not have children at a young age. Instead, I would like to focus in school and on my future career. Seeing how they failed to graduate, I have a strong determination to succeed and finish high school. I want to show my family that I will accomplish my goal. Sometimes I worry that if I don’t meet my goal, I will be looked at as a failure and I wouldn’t be able to live with that.

Attending college is something I never thought would happen. It gives me a great sense of pride, to know that I can set an example for my relatives. I want to be able to open their eyes and demonstrate the value of a higher education. To me, the value of a higher education is having the ability to have more choices. I see how my mom despises her job, yet because of her lack of education she is and always will be at a standstill with her career. Therefore acquiring my college degree, will limit my struggles and open up a door of endless possibilities for me.

In a few months, I will be the one graduating in the Abington High School gymnasium, where family and friends will join me in celebrating my accomplishments. Hopefully, they will look back at my graduation and think about how I was able to keep my promise to myself and accomplish my goals.