Taking the advantage of absorbing knowledge will lead one far. One does not have to be a genius to be smart. By simply taking classes and putting in the hard honest work, one will succeed. There are multiple subjects out there but taking a foreign language class is a privilege because one will be able to communicate with others.

Wanting to gain knowledge has never been something I have strived to do. That is until I began my freshman year of high school. I started off that year with a bang because I, for the first time in my life stared caring about my grades. I wanted to learn. Unlike middle school, I found out that grades really mattered in high school. If I wanted to do something with my life I needed to gain knowledge. I figured out that the only way I was going to learn was if I put in the effort, time, and determination to succeed.

I began to pay attention in class and completing all my homework on time. If I didn't understand something I would raise my hand and ask questions.

One does not have to love the subject but one must love to learn something new. When it involves learning something new, every subject is fun. I was most excited to take French .Since I already knew English and Spanish, I thought learning a new language would be pretty simple.When people asked me why I did not take Spanish, I said, I already knew Spanish; I wanted to learn French.

That year this girl named Eloisa from Mexico came to my school. Over time we became friends, she was here as an exchange student to learn English. She was picking the language up pretty fast and that was when I knew, I wanted to study abroad in a French speaking country, to learn a more fluent French. I was so excited. I asked God that if it was his will I would go. About three months ago, I applied to study abroad for my senior year. This would be my last year for me to go because of age eligibility.

A month ago I found out that I got accepted. It was a lot of paper work but God has given me the privilege of studying abroad for this upcoming school year. This adventure will be a challenge; going to a different country alone, for ten months with only three years of French. I know that this will be a struggle but it will be filled with laughs, joys, and lots of learning experiences. Not only will I learn a new language but with that, I will have the fundamentals to reach out and help others in the future.

Confidence has a lot to do with knowledge. Practice along with repetition and good studying skills will lead to success. If one puts in the effort and prays good things will happen.