I was quiet as a freshman. I never to speak out of turn. I was naive and a constantly stressed about school. Now, I am a senior and I am so much more outgoing, outspoken and nonchalant. High school changes your character, mindset and perspective on the world.

Finding myself

My sophomore year, Ms. Stauffer was a new history teacher and I will never forget her and her ways of teaching. She is the sole reason I am who I am today; she peaked my interest in religion and religious history and origins. I began studying Buddhism and am completely fascinated by it now. It has made me an all around positive person with a newly found outlook on life.

Friendship

From seventh grade to 11th, I had one friend. One person to depend on and confide in, and at the end of junior year we stopped being friends and each found new groups. My point being that no matter how long you’ve known someone, they could switch up and stop being friends with you, especially in high school. However, as one door closes, another one opens. I found a group of friends who have brought me out of my shell and help shape who I am today. Overall, I’m glad I lost the four-year friendship because my life has only gone uphill since.

Passions

I have had a love for photography before I entered high school, but my photojournalism teacher Mr. Hale helped me get to where I am today. I have been applying for art universities and want to pursue photography as a career. He was not only a great teacher, but I could tell he actually cared and had interest in what he was teaching the class. In a lot of classes, you find teachers who you can tell don’t have any interest in what they teach. However, Mr. Hale did and believed in every lecture he taught.