Looking back on my freshman year of high school, I realize just how young and innocent we all were as we entered into this new world called “High School”. I was overwhelmed by the massive amount of students clogging the hallways between passing periods and the looming presence of security guards around every corner. Being the teeny freshman I was, high school was overpowering with the man-eating teachers I heard about, threatening to send a student to the principal’s office if arriving to class even a minute tardy.

In order to avoid getting into any trouble, I rushed from class to class with my schedule and map in my hand. I was determined to stay awake every hour, showing my teachers I was a dedicated student, always completing my homework on time and never procrastinating. My grades remained high A’s for the whole year, and my life consisted of academics, orchestra, and the various clubs I tried out: Speech and Debate, Spanish Club, Key Club, Community Counts, and a menagerie of others. My social life was dull, as my strict 9:30 bedtime permitted time only for academics and reading novels after school. As freshman year continued, I remained quiet and shy at school, never getting into trouble for anything. Wearing Abercrombie everyday and never fraternizing with boys—who apparently have cooties—made me a definite candidate for the teacher’s pet.

As I matured into a young adult my senior year, I learned how to manage my academic and social lives. Although I still have a strong work ethic and keep A’s in all of my classes, I can tolerate an occasional B on an assignment. Between freshman and senior year I may have only grown three inches, but I have grown tremendously as a person and as a student. My bedtime is no longer 9:30, leaving time for my blossoming social life. As senioritis has taken over my body, I meander between classes, not wanting to be the first student to arrive at the classroom anymore. My confidence has grown, creating a student who is still quiet in class, but definitely not shy once I am with my friends. Looking back, I have changed for the better. The last and most important lesson I finally learned this year: Boys do not have cooties. High school is no longer a jungle to me; it is my home.