AP stress or unexpected success? by Jocelyn

AP stress or unexpected success? by Jocelyn - January 2025 Scholarship Essay

"Junior year is the hardest" my upper classmates and friends would always say to me as a sophomore. I could only imagine the stress and adversities they were under, taking AP classes, stressing for their senior year, and managing their personal life. As I entered my junior year, I took into account all the advice and rants they had given me, giving me a sense of anxiety and confidence all at once.
On the first day, entering AP Language and Composition was apprehensive. This class was it. It was going to be the hardest class and AP like everyone said but nonetheless, I was prepared. I sat with friends and familiar faces in hopes that it'd make the class less scary. My teacher, Mrs. Domingo introduced herself and started off by telling us a few things about herself to make us all less nervous and more comfortable and as the days went by, she succeeded. Attending her class became my favorite part of school which is something I never thought I'd say.
No doubt, her class was the hardest, but only because she challenged our class with quizzes, multiple readings, and assignments all within one class period. Yet, I had never felt so open in discussions, participating, and presentations like I did in this class. My teacher always made sure to let everyone know her class was an open, free space and when we had open discussions about literature and struggles that people in literature faced, everyone felt comfortable expressing their opinion. Every day, the class would always discuss something they enjoyed while relating to a story, and Mrs. Domingo was beyond supportive. She never allowed us students to give up in her class and when no one had the answer we all sat in silence till we built up an answer, which was something we dreaded at the time, but admired her for it later. Her teaching method also always helped me grasp literature more effectively and improve my writing skills. Our diverse class always felt so connected and most of us always looked forward to Mrs. Domingo's class.
Mrs. Domingo truly inspired me and even encouraged me into taking an internship at an elementary school during the summer for an education program. Junior year was indeed not the hardest, but the most memorable school year for me as I've never felt I've learned more in any other class or with any other teacher.