17. Senior Year. Getting ready for what the world has to offer me and what I have to offer the world.
Life is all about growth, and in order to appreciate where I am now I have to analyze my past and the steps it took from me to get from where I was to where I am now. My highschool career is quickly coming to an end and somedays that seems so crazy to me. How did 4 years go by so fast? My life changed in so many ways during those short 4 years, but looking back I now see how those changes affected me and made me the person that I am now. Starting my freshman year after leaving St. Maarten was so difficult, being in a new school, town, and country was intimidating. I was quiet and shy, I didn't feel like I could fit in...how could I? There was no one else from my island and no one who knew me. I am proud of myself for getting through that time without losing myself as a person and for staying focused on my schoolwork(which has really paid off and I will explain later). And I am so grateful for my family and my friends who were always there to support me.
I've learned so much about myself and have changed in positive ways as I grew up and learned from my mistakes. Now, I am confident in who I am. For those out there who feel like they don't know themselves yet, here is my advice:
1. Give yourself time to grow and learn
2. Focus on yourself, not what others are doing or saying
3. Have a positive role model in your life, there are so many people out in the world doing amazing things and we can always learn from them
4. Figure out what makes you happy and do whatever it is.
I know that there is still so much for me to learn, so many more hardships for me to experience, and I will change in different ways....but I know it will only make me a better person.
2017 has been a memorable year for me, there are so many amazing things happening and I feel so blessed it is almost overwhelming. I've been accepted into almost all the colleges I applied to, have been excelling in all my classes, was in the Students of the Year Campaign, and recently was awarded a Full-Tuition Scholarship to my dream school. Like I said, its so amazing that its overwhelming!!!
My achievements are a reflection of the hard work I've done, my support system, and aspirations. I am beyond happy that I have made my family so incredibly proud of me. I am also very thankful and grateful for all the opportunities that I have had. Like I said before, all the hard work has paid off. Those difficult days were truly worth it. I didn't think that things like this couldn't happen to me, that there was always someone smarter and more qualified. Now I know that the sky is truly the limit, don't doubt yourself! I am just a girl from a small island but this is only the start for me, I know that there is so much more that I want to achieve in life.
There would be no growth and no achievements without a great attitude and positivity. In high school it seems like everyday you are surrounded with the exact opposite. The gossiping, the rumors, the people who don't like you, and so many people who would rather see you fail than see you be happy and succeeding. It is so easy to get caught up in the things that aren't important. How popular you are. How many followers you have. What people think of you. Trust me, I've gotten caught up before. I know that I am focused on the wrong things when I am unhappy. When this happens I try to refocus myself and stay positive. Spreading kindness, helping others, and just being nice is so much more rewarding.
As I look forward to college, I am excited for the growth I will experience, for the things that I will achieve, and I hope to stay positive and humble through it all. I hope that maybe someone reading this will find this helpful and relatable. I share my accomplishments and my experiences, not for the personal praise, but in order to inspire others. There are so many people in my life who have inspired me and I hope to be that person for others. xoxo Kye