The beginning of my time at Granite Hills High School was one of the hardest times of my life.
The work wasn’t necessarily hard, but the pressure I put on myself is what caused me not to have a good start to my high school career. I was always behind on class work and homework. I didn’t know how to keep up with all the work given to me. Most of it was because of me, though. I never really tried to keep up with my work or anything school-related. I always had the mindset of, “my grades won’t matter, I can make it up later.”
Most of the time, I didn’t want to be at school. I thought maybe I didn’t belong here. I thought everyone else was always smarter than me, and I’d never be like them. School was draining, the work, the people, and mainly the teachers. The teachers never really seemed to care about grades or how anyone’s grade point average looked. I was so disappointed when my GPA was a 2.8. Yes, it wasn’t as bad, but I knew I could do better; I just didn’t know how to.
Sophomore year came, and my mindset changed, and I realized if I kept the mindset of “my grades won’t matter, I can make it up later,” I wouldn’t get anywhere in life. I knew there were people who genuinely cared and were there to help me during difficult times like freshman year. I started trying my best, the work was still hard but I continued to try my best all the time. Ms. Alghonaym is the main teacher who helped me push through.
Alghonaym is one of the best teachers on campus. She never let me fail. When I had a bad grade, she would help me even if she didn’t understand it. She never once let me continue the school year with a bad grade. She gives the most amazing advice and support. She always reminded me to do my best and that I wasn’t a bad student, even if those words didn’t physically come out of her mouth.
My GPA improved as I continued to change my ways. I finished the school year with a 3.5 GPA. There was nothing better than feeling proud of myself. From then on, I never felt bad about myself during school. I always tried my best to keep my grades up and turn my work in on time. I realized that grades really do matter, and there will be a time and place when I’ll get rewarded for trying my absolute best.
Junior year came around, and I can say that I’ve never felt better. This year has taught me many lessons. I’ve been stressed, I’ve wanted to give up on school, I said “I quit” more than 100 times, but yet, I still pushed through. It wasn’t a smooth journey, but it was better than having a lower GPA that I wasn’t proud of. I finished first semester with a 3.8 GPA and am hoping to end this semester with an even better GPA.
I couldn’t have done it without my parents, friends, and Ms. Alghonaym. They’re the ones who stood with me through the entire ride. I’ve realized my growth, and I can admit there is no better feeling than being proud of my accomplishments. I know many people say this but, high school does go by fast.
For incoming freshmen, don’t have the same mindset that I had. It won’t get you anywhere. Pick yourself up and push through, no matter how stressed you get.
