I have never felt so accomplished and motivated to reach my goals in my whole life until recently.

I haven’t always been this way,  in fact I was the very opposite. It has taken a lot of hard work, time and effort to be a better version of myself and a better person and student.

My freshman year of high school I failed math and ditched school for two weeks. You could say I was at an all-time low in my life with failing grades and an angry mom at home. It all changed when I realized I wanted to be more than a failing joke with no future. I started noticing rewards to even a little bit of effort I started putting into my school work. My grades went from F’S to A’s and B’s. I shocked everyone who knew me and what my old work ethic was like. My teacher’s and mom were very impressed and most of all, I felt proud of myself for the first time in my life. It was a big accomplishment from almost being a dropout to being an early grad with a full scholarship to a fire academy.

I know you may be thinking I turned into a try hard who is trying to lecture you but the truth is I just started to care about myself more and you should too. No matter what grade you are or age, life is going to be hard and you are going to have to learn to persevere and jump over obstacles that get in your way. The hardest part about high school is the work you have to put in to just get a good grade.

One good thing is that time will fly by. Trust me I can tell you first hand , I have been waiting for this moment for 12 years which is a long time if you think about it. You’re going to find yourself thinking, why am I here? High school isn’t going to help me at all after.

To be honest I can’t even answer that because I am a week away from graduating but what I can tell you is it has taught me that if you are good to people and kind then people will also be kind to you. You may not think that is important but being kind has been the most helpful and rewarding thing.

Some of these kids I have known in science elementary school and we all have fun memories to reminisce on. I have new people that have huge impacts on my life and helped me become the better person I am today.

Even after I graduate I hope I keep changing for the better and meeting more people. When I become a paramedic firefighter I want to be able to help people and to just be kind to people around me and I know that will help me be as successful as I can be and it will help me reach my goals and make my dreams possible.

I hope that if you’re reading this you will practice being kind and go out of your way to do your best in everything that you do.

Just remember no one is perfect and mistakes will be made. Just learn from them and keep going.

Spend time with people you love most in this world and surround yourself with them as much as possible.

That is the key to success.