Student Council Challenges

A lot of aspects in my life changed drastically when I started my first year of high school. I became more matured and dedicated in my education, which made me feel better with myself as I started to improve as a student. Teachers suddenly began to mention college and demand the requirement to know what career you want to make a living of, and reality instantaneously hit me hard. I realized that I had to upgrade my grades and start thinking about my future, something that I have been avoiding for a long time, so eventually, when my grades became higher than usual and the only thing left was to decide what major I was getting in my mind was completely blank. Since I was young I thought that I was convinced about what I wanted to do, but I became aware that what I wanted was a bit unrealistic and as I heard my friends talk about their future with such confidence l felt uncertain about mine.

Finally, I realized that I wanted to go back to school. Going back to school drastically changed my life. My work ethic, free time, and self – esteem have all changed my daily life for the better. When I was in high school I think it is safe to say I was a pretty good student. However, I was nothing spectacular just an average B student like most other kids.

At first, it took me a while to accept my responsibilities and get over my fear of failing and getting nowhere. Now that I am within the “unknown” there are many challenges that I face every day and will continue to face. There is the challenge of finding out what I want to study in college, doing well on standardized tests, and getting good grades in all of my classes. There are also temptations I have to face such as choosing whether to hang out with friends or do the homework that is due the next day. But I am able to overcome most of these challenges and temptations with the help of my parents, teachers, and friends who help push me to be the best I can be every day.

As a member of a team, I had to fully commit myself, because my actions did not only have an effect on myself but my teammates as well. Giving 110% was something my parents had taught me to always do. I learned the importance of responsibility. I told my mom my junior year of high school that I wanted to play lacrosse in college. She had told me if I really wanted to play in college that I would have to work hard, practice more and focus on my grades.

As Theodore Roosevelt said, "Nothing Worth Having Was Ever Achieved Without Effort" It is true that nothing comes easy and nothing is for free. My experience at college proves the truth of this quote. My experience as a freshman at Kingsborough Community College was very challenging. In the beginning, it was hard to adapt to the college environment which I had to give up on things I enjoyed, watching movies, hanging out with friends, sleeping 12 hours per day. I said to myself that I must get good grades and reach my goals.

The practices became more focused, longer, and more productive. After great wins the team celebrated but then got back to practice as there was more work to do. There was always something to learn and practice in order to become better. I learned a lot of this just by being there and watching the practices and

It was my family’s legacy of determination, dedication and perseverance that had fueled me to face and overcome the stereotypes that were imposed on me in high school. During my junior year, I enrolled in AP Calculus with the indefatigable support and encouragement of my parents. Initially, this class was a nightmare due to the academic expectations and amount of assignments. I often doubted in my own ability to succeed in the class. I found inspiration and internal motivation to continue the battle by observing my industrious and diligent parents.

As a first generation college student, I have the desire to not only make my parents proud of my academic achievements, but to be the first person in my family to receive a college degree. At a very young age, I was always expected to receive A’s and B’s in my school assignments, as well as my final grades. However, I was never rewarded or congratulated whenever I did receive those grades because it was already expected of me to achieve them. Hence, a time in which I have experienced failure but also felt like I let my family down was when I received a D in my Critical Thinking course I was already retaking for the second time. The first time I took Critical Thinking was during the summer in which it was an 8-week long course.

How I Graduated High School Have you ever procrastinated for so long that it finally caught up to you? Well that was the story of my life in my senior year of high school. To me, high school wasn’t about learning and doing school work, it was more about hanging out with friends and living a life of leisure and free time. Needless to say, by the end of my sophomore year, everything changed and I learned things the hard way. Getting your responsibilities out of the way, and taken care of is always better done soon rather than later.

As middle school began, hard working and social life had shaped a hefty problem for me. Middle school brought forth harder work, and attending a different school expunged almost all of my previous friends. I began to work much harder as a student, because I felt that it was important to receive superb grades. However, this affected my life with friends in later years.

When I received my acceptance letter from the School of Social Work, I was excited and had prepared myself for this higher learner program. I did not know what to expect, but I was determined to finish this program. I had made a choice to prioritize my life, so that my studies would not be affected and it was an effective measurement for me. There were days that giving up seemed easier, but my will and determination would not allow me to quit. In fact, I had surprised myself by achieving and maintaining a 3.0 GPA and currently two classes away from a minor in Sociology.

Carol Dweck describes fixed mind-set as a student believing their successes and failures reflect how smart they are. While growth mind-set describes a student looking at their successes and failures as an opportunity to learn new abilities and skills. Carol Dweck means fixed mind-set does not look at the effort a student puts in to an assignment, but only the grade they receive. Growth mind-set does focus on the effort a student puts into an assignment. Student’s either have fixed or growth mind-set and this can significantly help or hurt their self esteem.

Being a member and leader in National Honor Society has proven beneficial in my development. As I grow and expand my knowledge of the world around me, I have relied on the four pillars of NHS to ensure my current and future success in life. The importance of scholarship has always resonated with me, as I have maintained my number one class rank throughout my high school career. However, distinguishing my desire for additional knowledge from a classroom requirement to a true commitment to learning has only come to me through my membership with NHS.

Going away to college for the first time, I would say will have to be the most memorable aspect of my life as a student. The thought of just going away excited me and scared me at the same time. Going away excited me because I was finally going somewhere that I know would lead me further in my life. I knew that I was on the road to success. The thought that scared me was that I was finally going to be on my own as an adult, which meant more responsibility for me.