Freshman and sophomore year: the two years where I thought I knew it all. These two years were like an emotional roller coaster for me; things in my life were not how I expected them to be. It was my freshman year of high school and I did not know what to expect. It was the beginning of supposedly the “best four years of your life.” I knew it was going to be a long four years because my parents talked about it endlessly. They repeated how significant high school is and never failed to let me forget the importance of my grades. The next four years were about to dictate my future. The beginning of my freshman year was unforgettable. I was able to step out of my comfort zone by not only making a whole new set of friends, but also by making the varsity squad for both of the sports teams I tried out for: hockey and lacrosse. Sports were my favorite part of high school, easily. Being on the varsity teams opened so many new doors, but also allowed me to drift away from reality. My grades were not nearly as good as they should have been. Since it was still only my freshman year, I was still trying to adapt to the new high school lifestyle, but I refuse to use that as an excuse for my poor grades. In my opinion, I was being the stereotypical, know-it-all, freshman jock. I was slacking off in my classes and did not care to prioritize. Instead, I focused on what was going on the upcoming weekend and what I was going to be drinking. All I cared about was my social life and sometimes sports depending on the season. I was not able to manage my time properly and it started catching up to me. 

Going into sophomore year seemed like a good time to start fresh. I looked at it as a chance to start over, and to put my grades before anything else. At first, it seemed like a good idea. As we got further and further into the year, I started to fall into my old habits and became lazy with my schoolwork. I was more worried about what my friends were doing when I could have been helping myself by doing something as simple as staying after school with my teachers to finish missed assignments. I did not care. My GPA was slowly but surely dropping more and more every quarter. I had an averaged 2.5 by the end of sophomore year. I was slacking off felt so overwhelmed that I did not think there was anything more I could do. Not only was I not doing well in school, but my relationships with my family and friends were being ruined. I would not listen to either of my parents, and for no good reason. I thought they were the bad guys, always disciplining me by taking away my phone or not allowing me to go out with my friends: something they knew made me happy. My attitude was worsening over time and I was becoming someone I told myself I would never be.

Junior year was in the near future and this year needed to be different. The summer before junior year was when I finally realized that I was the problem. It was not my parent’s fault that I was getting bad grades or becoming a different person; it was my entire fault. My family and I started to have long and serious talks about what I needed to change. Once the school year began, I immediately started to make changes for the better. I began focusing on myself more than I ever had. I realized that if I wanted to be successful in the future after, I needed to put in the work now and change my ways. I created better relationships with my teachers, which made learning and sitting in class much more easier and enjoyable. Not only were my relationship with my teachers getting better, but also my mother and father began giving me more freedom because they were starting to trust me. I knew my parents wanted what was best for me and that is why they are so hard on me; I couldn't be more grateful. Once they started rewarding me for becoming a better person, I was more motivated than I ever had been, knowing that they finally trusted and believed in me. It seemed like everything was falling back into place and I started to become happy person I was known for being. To top off a great junior year, I was named captain for both sports teams for the upcoming seasons. I was more than ready for senior year and I had never been so content.

To finish out my high school career, I ended with final GPA of a 3.0. The change in my grades is the reason why I am a student as such a great university. I was given the opportunity of a face-to-face interview and was told that they were accepting me because of my academic improvement throughout my four high school years. Hearing this gave me a sense of joy I had never experienced before. My hard work and changes really paid off, and I learned life lessons from this experience that will stick with me forever.