Extending My Thanks

My high school experience definitely wasn’t what I thought it would be. There was much less locker usage, much more studying, and just about as much awkwardness as I thought there would be. Looking back, my freshman self would be very surprised to see how the four years changed me, but honestly, I’m not mad. These past four years have really shaped me into who I am today and have helped me learn many things about myself, my friends, and many people around me.

To start, I want to thank my family—for putting up with my mood swings, particular habits, and peculiarities. I really would have struggled a lot without two (three, when my brother comes back from college) loving, caring souls who were always there for me. As I go to college, the value of my family is something that I will really come to appreciate more.

Next, I have to thank my friends for making my high school experience enjoyable. The laughs I’ve shared, the looks we have given across the room, and the texts when Kerry Birmingham announced snow days have kept me sane along this chaotic journey. As an introvert, my friends also helped me grow a lot as a person by encouraging me to engage in new experiences and challenge myself. And sometimes when I challenged myself too much, they were there to assure me that everything will be fine. Love you all :)

My teachers so far have been (overall) very helpful, supportive, and considerate. A class with a teacher who teaches well and is a nice person fosters the best learning environment possible and many of my teachers have created such an environment for me. Thank you to those teachers (thank you Mrs. Feldkamp!!) that made me look forward to their class—motivating a high school student is truly an amazing feat.

Some other things I would like to thank are Spotify (music is the best escape from any problem), my hamsters for giving me unconditional love, my glasses for helping me see, and my bed that takes all my weight every night and prepares me for the morning of the next day. 

Now, how have I grown as a writer? My writing journey is almost as interesting as my high school journey. I remember using the word “ordeal” in my ninth-grade English essay, thinking I was as smart as Shakespeare (someone needed to humble me fr). Outside of expanding my diction, I think I have developed a distinct style of writing. When it came to writing college essays, especially my personal statement, I was able to easily incorporate a distinguishable voice into my writing.

As for reading, well...

Thank you To Kill a Mockingbird for helping me realize the value of POV and how that can change the meaning of a work as a whole.

Thank you Lord of the Flies for teaching me about allegories and symbolism–every small detail the author chooses can have a greater significance.

Thank you The Great Gatsby for teaching me about dynamic characters and the value of knowing the rhetorical context of a story.

Thank you the Stranger for showing me how an unconventional protagonist and absurdist approach can still make a story very engaging.

Thank you Waiting for Godot for testing my patience, but more importantly, for showing me how to find meaning in something that is seemingly meaningless.

And with that, I now say thank YOU for reading this blog :)

writing blogs this year has been fun…till next time ✌🏼