Aubree D.

Appel

02/22/2020

Personal Essay

English

High School Graduation

Throughout my life I have had many things that have happened, and of those they have

also helped shaped my life and have made me into the person I am today. The one thing that has

shaped me the most would be my high school graduation. My graduation from high school

wasn’t the typical “high school experience” that everyone gets or talks about. Though mine was

different, I am not complaining on how my experience went. I am pleased with how my

experience went and beyond thrilled and proud of myself to have gotten to the point I did. For

me my high school graduation the most life changing event to occur in my life, it showed me

what hard work and determination can do and it also showed me that doing things on your own

gives you a new perspective on things.

My high school graduation was a big part of my life. It was in the first semester of my

sophomore year when I heard that one of my close friends was leaving. She had told me that she

was going to try to graduate next year so when she moved, she wouldn’t have to worry about the

change of people and classes, and if her classes would transfer. I asked her if that was even

possible to do, and she told me as long as she knew, we could do that. So that next day I looked

into it and spoke with our grade level counselor about the process. He then told me that it was

possible to do if I accumulated all the necessary credits to graduate. At the time I had 15 credits

out of the 24 I needed to be eligible to graduate. I then spoke with my grade level counselor and
the digital learning lab teacher to see what classes I could do to get my credits in before May

2019. We talked for a little while discussing the classes I could take and the different plans I

could do, such as how many classes I could take in each remaining semesters. We then

determined that I needed 5 credits on top of my in-class semester credits. I finished three classes

before the second semester of my Junior year, which then led into winter break. When we got

back from winter break, I went and spoke with my counselor and digital learning lab teacher, and

they enrolled me in my last two classes I needed to be eligible to graduate. I finished those

classes around April of 2019, with not even a month till graduation. It was at that point when I

finished my last two classes, that I knew I was going to graduate my junior year of high school. I

ordered my cap and gown and told all of my friends and family on what I had accomplished.

My high school graduation was important to me because it really opened my eyes on

what hard work and determination can do for a person. The importance of it may not seem like

much to other people, but for me it’s a promise I made for myself and it’s something I stuck with

for many years. At the time when I made that promise to myself, I didn’t know that my thinking

at the time would be wrong. It started around my early elementary school days. Many of friends

and distant family would ask me what grade I was in. I always thought to myself and asked if

that question would ever end. So, I kept counting my age and tried to figure out how old I would

be when I finally graduated high school. I counted and figured out on my senior year, I would be

17 when I walk across that stage. Since then I told myself that I would graduate at age 17 no

matter what, and I stuck with it. Around middle school I still had the same thought I mind, and it

wasn’t until I justified my thought process and wrote down my graduation plan for semesters, I

was wrong. Somewhere in the mix of all the math and counting grades and ages in my head, I

had skipped a year. Even at that point when I knew that I was wrong, I still held that goal for
myself and still strived to achieve it. I tried my hardest in my classes to pass them and I held high

standards for myself. I told myself no matter what, I would graduate at 17, and when I found out

that I would graduate at 18, I still told myself I was going to strive for better. So, when I got the

chance for the opportunity graduate earlier than my class, I took it and ran. I worked hard and

took on extra classes to get all my credits in to be able to graduate.

If someone were to ask me years ago, if I think I could graduate early, I would have told

them no, and that it wasn’t possible. That person would have to be very highly intelligent, and at

a time in my life I knew I was at a low point and didn’t hold high confidence in myself. I also let

my guard stay low and really didn’t care about much, I flaked it off and told myself that I can’t

do the things I wanted to do and achieve. If someone were to ask me now if I thought I could do

those things, I would give them a definite yes. I don’t hold much confidence in myself and I

never have, but if there is something I know I want to achieve, I will try my hardest to

accomplish it. I know the difference between I want, and I can, I will make sure that I can

accomplish what I want and that I will succeed no matter what obstacles come in front of me.

Back then I would let people decide what they thought was best for me either right or wrong.

Either way I didn’t think much of it nor did I care all that much. Now I will do anything and

everything I think is best for myself, no matter the things in my way. I won’t let people take

control of my life and decide what is best and what isn’t, that is for me to decide.

Overall, I am beyond glad that I finished high school a year early. When I made that first

decision, I wasn’t all that sure if I could do it or not. When I finally got to walk across that stage

a whole year earlier than I was supposed to, my pride and confidence in myself automatically

went up. I felt like I knew that is what I had to do at that time and trusted myself, and I stuck

with the process no matter how difficult it was. When I took control of my own life, it gave me a
whole new view on life on what it was. It widened my horizons and showed me what I can and

can’t accomplish. Even if I doubted my ability on many of the things I did.