I feel like everything is moving way too fast. The way it feels when you finally get the courage to rest your head on that special person's shoulder, only to realize that you waited until the last three minutes of the movie to do so. But, in congruency, it feels s l o w like the clock is skipping every other second, just to deprive you of a moment to breathe, like the red light keeping you from clocking into work on time. It feels like the moment before the initial brushing of lips, the fall from the roof, the impact of the crash, the last ten minutes of your last class on your last day of school.

From the moment I stepped foot into Lakeview, it was my aim to become a better person then who I was when I simply stared at the doorway. I was not proud of who I was. Not in the slightest. I was self centered, whiney, cold and distant. I was under the impression that everyone had it out for me, a sort of built in paranoia that I would always describe as a "defense mechanism." When people were cruel to me, I was cruel right back at them. When I didn't want to do something, I wouldn't do it, and would expect things to work out in my favor. I was in a bad state of mind, and I didn't want to be that way anymore. I was unpolished and it didn't help that I was lazy. I set high goals for myself, all written carefully (if not threateningly) in my 8th grade letter to myself explaining what I needed to do to become someone I could be proud of. Some goals I accomplished, others I failed to reach, and scarce few I went over and beyond my wildest dreams. Each year of high school, I learned a new lesson and made a new goal that became an important aspect of my life.


Goal #1: Make Connections
Freshman Year

 Thirty years from now, I probably won’t remember who my graduation speaker is, what assembly the diversity team brought to our school, the phone number to LHS, or the password that logs me into blackboard, but it is my most sincere wish that I will never lose touch with the people I've met here. It is because I set the foundation for this goal in my freshman year that I have learned over the last four years never to hesitate in asking for a classmate’s email address or phone number, a recommendation letter from a teacher, or the name of a school staff member. You never know who will start the networking chain into a scholarship, job, or even love interest.

Goal #2: Become Published
Sophomore Year

  I accomplished this goal much faster than I thought I ever would. In the 8th grade, I was Editor-in-Chief of the Patriot Post. I was a terrible editor. I was lazy, unproductive, unmotivated. In all actuality, I did not deserve the position. I still find myself with titles of things that I feel like I don’t deserve, but have to live up to. One such title is now “published.” By no means am I Stephen King, nor do I have a library of novels in my name, but I am a published writer. It started with Creative Writing, sophomore year with Mrs. Yurenka. This class opened so many doors to me, cracked so many windows of writing, turned on the light of inspiration in so many aspects of my life. After writing boot camp was completed, we were ordered by Sgt. Yurenka to compile our achievements into an anthology. On top of that, it was our job to submit a piece of writing to be published. I submitted a poem to a poetry compilation company and received acceptance into their next collaboration project. Junior year, I joined The Husky Staff as the photography editor under Ms. Bejma. Two of my photographs were published in the Macomb Daily and multiple articles were published in the school’s newspaper. Though this may seem like cheating the system as far as “being published” goes, I am still proud to say that, with the help of my wonderful teachers, I am, indeed, published.

Goal #3: Develop Performance
Junior Year

 The thrill of performance can drown out any negative feelings I harbor within my body- something I have always loved about theatre. It was (and still is) very important to me to develop my ability to perform in order to give back that thrill to others. All throughout high school, I performed in the Lakeview Community Musical, learning from my elders and taking in different aspects of what goes into a production. This became one of the most valuable experiences of my life and influenced my decision to double major in Theatre Education alongside English. My accomplishments in musical theatre make me proud to have such great people and opportunities in my life. I have learned so much thanks to the stage hands, the producers, directors, musicians, and fellow youth actors. My high school career would not have been the same without this extra curricular in my life. Though, I can’t forget to count my performance on the ACT. I am by no means your genius student. I have an incredible inferiority complex when it comes to applying mathematics to real life. With the guidance of Mrs. Culver, I was able to overcome my tremendous fear of basic math equations. Her care and wisdom led me to the most important part of performing: feeling confident in all that you do. It is with her help that I was able to face the ACT with a head held high, consequently awarding me with a higher score every time I retook it, and, in the end, a half ride to Saginaw Valley State University. My Junior year would have been worthless without her and the lessons she taught me.

Goal #4: Improve Writing
Senior Year

 As the days of high school close, I have found that it is no longer possible to write a grammatically correct paper, go off on some semi related tangent, and still earn an A. AP English opened my eyes to how I write and think critically. It is a rude awakening to find that you are incapable of writing an “A” paper despite how hard you try. When I walked into Mr. Burnett’s class, I was frightened to realize that I had no idea what was being asked and even less of an idea as to what was expected of me writing-wise. I was unable to transition my paragraphs and ideas smoothly, the focus of my paragraphs could more appropriately be called the “blur“, and all the years I spent adding fluff and adjectives to my essays only ended up hurting my technical writing skills. I was doomed, but having a hands-off teacher with an open mind and tough grading system helped jump start my independence in writing to a new level. To my surprise, not only was I in need of improvement, I was in desperate search for my own foundation of thought, which until then never even knew I lacked.
 While this might not be the most conventional paper, and though it may not follow the structure given, I think it is important to answer the criteria of the conclusion. You ask me “what could you do over, how and why?” It is at this time when I must reference one of the world’s most amazing musicals: RENT. “There is only yes, there’s only this, forget regret or life is yours to miss- no other road, no other way, no day but today.” I have to listen to these lyrics. They make sense. These words are the foundation of the way I look at life. I can’t regret the choices I have made, I can only learn from my mistakes and make better choices in the future. If there was any one piece of advice I could give to an incoming freshman, it would be that. Just breathe. This isn’t all life has to offer, and you can succeed even with a messy past, but remember that you can fail with a bright past, too. Take my words and listen to them: work hard, but have fun. This is the start of who you are. If you don’t like the person you are now, you can change for the better. “I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn and we are led to those who help us most to grow- if we let them… and we help them in return.” (Wicked). I don’t know if I’ve been changed for the better, but so many people have changed me for good. I don’t know where I will be in five or ten years, but my new goal is to make my mentors, my friends, and my family proud of the person I have become and to give back to the world what the world has given me: a chance to be someone who I, too, am proud of.

God speed, class of 2009.