Tyler+H

It’s funny to look back on high school and see how much has changed and how much hasn’t. Freshman year, I had one best friend. We hung out all the time, and overcame the challenges of beginning high school together. Near the end of the year, I started hanging out with some new friends. These people became some of my best friends, and my friendships with them have continued throughout the rest of high school. That summer, I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic where I discovered my passion for traveling and my love of other cultures. I learned so much about myself and the person I wanted to be on that trip. It also provided me the opportunity to build relationships with kids from my church. The relationships I built on that trip helped me to build the confidence in myself and in my ability to make friends that I needed to start the next year of high school. Sophomore year was by far my favorite year in high school. I became a part of another group of friends, which included my best friend. This group of nine girls, some have dubbed “the nine,” were and continue to be my best friends and constant source of laughter and adventure. We did everything together. We went to the state fair, downed an entire carton of Cappuccino Chip ice cream, and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking. We went to football games, spent weekends away at the beach, got into mud fights, and celebrated everything from Christmas to birthdays. We made bonds that year that have lasted the remainder of high school and, I’m certain, will carry many years following graduation. That year I also became much closer with my youth group. We did tons of crazy things, from creating 80’s workout videos to teaming up to compete in a hyper-competitive ball game. It was during this time that I discovered how solid a community I had surrounding me, both at church and at school. I had people in my life that loved, supported, and encouraged me. I can’t imagine being the person I am today without their great influence in my life. That summer I went to Mississippi to help rebuild what Hurricane Katrina had destroyed. I also worked my first summer at camp. Being a counselor allowed me to enter another community of people. Spending the summer with my co-workers and campers was a fun experience that involved doing a lot of ridiculous things including letting them put honey in my hair for the “Honey Hair Do” competition. I won, but I haven’t eaten honey since. Junior year threw me out of my comfort zone. I was no longer able to coast through school. AP classes brought an entirely new challenge to my high school experience. They were difficult, but once I applied myself and put in some extra effort, I discovered, not impossible. So much freedom came with being an upper classman. Going off campus was an excellent perk. This allowed many of my friendships to blossom and provided me the opportunity to meet a bunch of new people as well. I went to my first concert that year to see the most amazing musician ever, John Mayer. My friends and I went to the homecoming game and the state fair that fall once again. Later that year, I went to prom with one of my really good friends. That summer, my dad took me to Egypt. That was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It is such a beautiful place, with delicious food, and friendly people, and the entire experience further solidified my desire to travel the world. I started this year as Draco Malfoy in the Senior Car Parade where my friends and I won the “best overall” car. College mania began with applications and scholarships and trying to figure out where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life. Ultimately, I decided on UNC Chapel Hill. So many wonderful memories were made this year that I will never forget. Preparing for graduation and looking forward to my final summer at home before college, I can’t imagine having had a better high school experience. I am leaving Green Hope with so much more than a diploma. I am leaving with lessons teachers have taught me that go beyond the high school curriculum and carry into real life; I am leaving with a community of best friends with who I share the most precious memories; I am leaving knowing that I will always have something and someone to come back to; I am leaving knowing that I have become the best possible me I can be and am ready to begin the next season of my life.

Animoto High School Reflection