Accidental Inspiration by Hannah

Accidental Inspiration by Hannah - November 2019 Scholarship Essay

My high school experience was average from my point of view. I had my bullies and the people who didn’t care for me, I had my friends and teachers that I adored, and I even had people who liked me even though I had no idea who they were. It wasn’t the worst three years of my life, in fact it was almost spectacular. But high school always had its ups and downs.
And yes, I said three years of high school. No, it wasn’t a math mistake or a typing error. My three years in high school will actually be the subject of my essay today.
In 2016, I started ninth grade as a nervous, timid little fifteen-year-old. I didn’t know anybody in my school, and I had no idea what in the world I was doing. While all of my friends from middle school had gone to local high schools, I had chosen a high school two cities over. I chose Lakeview Centennial High School for its career and collegiate programs and the helpful staff. I didn’t know at the time that the school would change me so much as a person and a student.
When I started high school, I had severe generalized anxiety that was not controlled or tamed by any medication. At the time, my mother was still unsure of the side effects of medicating a child for their mental illness. So walking into that school each day was a big enough panic attack to send the average person running for their life. But I’d grown used to the fear of the unknown each day, and I swallowed my pride and entered the school no matter what.
My first year there, I had auditioned and made it into the school’s production theatre class. It was a pretty big deal since I was the only freshman in the class. I often felt like I was the adopted puppy everyone crowded around when I did something cute. Still, I made many friends and showed off my talents in that year more than I ever had. I was beginning to realize how much of a change high school was from middle school, and I was loving it.
Once my freshman year passed smoothly, it was on to sophomore year. I was anything but excited for another school year, but my experience the previous semesters had convinced me that high school wasn’t so scary after all. So, with all the courage I had in my body, I made it through the first week.
That was all it took to convince me that freshman year was a lie.
Everything changed. Classes got harder, I seemed to become less smart by the minute, and everybody I met disliked me. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have friends in most of my classes, and theatre was becoming a nightmare. With the new year came new freshman, and they were determined to make theatre a living… well, you get the idea.
I couldn’t believe it. After a year of so many amazing experiences and life lessons, this was what I came back to? Was it me? Did I do something wrong?
To distract myself, I began finding an interest in anything but school. My phone, my computer, my television, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, anything that got me out of the real world and away from the crushing stress it brought. And then I introduced myself to my academic counselor.
Her name shall remain classified, but she was the most amazing lady I had ever met. She was helpful, kind, funny, and super good at what she did. She showed me my list of previous classes I had taken and gotten credit for. I realized I already had most of my required credits that I needed to graduate. So I took a deep breath, looked my counselor in the eye, and asked the question that would change everything.
“What would it take for me to graduate early?”
Suddenly, my 2020 graduation turned into a 2019 graduation, and I couldn’t wait. I took two classes online to save myself time, crammed all my necessary academic classes in, and dropped theatre and the bullies that came with it. I blocked out the negativity and surrounded myself with people who I knew would support me no matter what. I had people coming up to me, strangers telling me they knew who I was and they thought that what I was doing was so cool. But all of a sudden, their opinions of me didn’t seem to matter anymore.
I focused on classes and getting passing grades, anything to get me out of the school sooner and on to bigger and better things. I was congratulated by everyone; school faculty, college admin, and even strangers I met in my everyday life. My decision had seemed to inspire others and bring me more attention than I’d realized it would. But I didn’t care, I just wanted to start my life away from the petty little problems everyone else seemed to focus on.
It took me a year and a half to realize that sometimes, all it takes is making yourself happier to change the world around you. And while I wasn’t making any decisions for the attention or praise of my peers, I loved knowing I was inspiring them to work hard and appreciate their education.