Four years ago, I remember sitting in the Selma High bleachers watching the graduation ceremony of the class of 2017. An incoming freshman at the time, I watched my older sister walk across the stage and receive her diploma. I couldn’t help but wonder when would I be in her shoes, when would I graduate and allow my life to truly begin?

Fast forward four years, I have less than three weeks remaining until graduation day and I couldn’t be more excited!

As cliché as it may sound, my four years of high school truly did fly by. It feels like just yesterday I was a freshman getting lost around campus. As short as my high school experience feels, there is no doubt that this period was extremely critical in my development as an individual. 

Throughout these past few years, I’ve grown immensely as a person. From every mistake I’ve made to every struggle I’ve faced, I’ve learned so much and I couldn’t be more thankful. These experiences have helped me evolve from the person that I once was to the person that I’ve now become.

My freshmen year was quite a tumultuous period. I had entered high school as an ambitious 13 year old with a clear plan of what I envisioned my future to be. However, reality soon crept up on me. As time progressed, I began to realize that my future would not be as perfect as I planned it to be. For as long as I could remember, my goal in regards to high school was to be accepted into an excellent UC but freshman year I began to doubt this goal.

As sophomore year commenced, I began to drift even further from my goal. Sophomore year I was unexpectedly placed into my first AP class, AP Euro. This rigorous course made me question my intelligence like no other class had before. The challenges I faced in this class were demotivating and they made me feel as if I would never achieve my goals. I spent countless hours studying and doing homework in order to retain my A in the class, but I constantly felt as if my efforts were not worth it. 

As junior year approached, I felt the need to reinvent myself academically. I wanted to become the stellar student I once was regardless of how difficult it would be. I knew how crucial it was to be the best possible student I could be if I wanted to achieve my academic goals. Throughout junior year I consistently worked hard academically and was finally making progress I was satisfied with when the coronavirus outbreak hit.

With the outbreak of the coronavirus, I once again fell into a slump. I became extremely unmotivated and for the first time in my life I became okay with the thought of failure. I felt my dream of getting into my dream college slipping away.

As senior year and college application season rolled around, I continued to put my best foot forward but I convinced myself that I would be okay even if I didn’t accomplish my goals. I knew it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I didn’t get into my ideal college. At this point in time I had completely given up on my dream, however my dream hadn’t given up on me. 

In March of 2021, I found out I was accepted into my dream college, UCLA! To this day I still can’t believe it. It feels surreal that it finally came true. After these four intense years, all the hard work and effort I put into school finally feels worth it and I’m so excited to start my journey at UCLA!