I am a failure is all I could think. To say that my education was spiraling out of control would be an understatement. Efforts were not focused on improving myself through knowledge, and I certainly paid no attention to the subordination to my pedagogical superiors. My grades were suffering, I gave no prudence to my future, and whatever energy I had left after my tomfoolery was concentrated to embellishing a facade of aplomb. But, I am not here to brood over my past mistakes and failures; I am here to enlighten them, illuminating my transformation from a distracted child to a self-driven young adult. Awards day for the eighth graders of Learwood Middle School marked the end of an awkward phase in our adolescent lives. The end-of-school ceremony …show more content…
My first days at Saint Ignatius, a boys college preparatory school just west of downtown Cleveland, were uncomfortable. Learning to tie a proper windsor and training my internal clock to adjust for the forty minute commute to the city were minor annoyances that I was willing to accept for the sake of change. Immediately I was aware of the formidable structure that "Iggy's" rigorous academics were built on. Ready for the challenge, I started to take action. I became more attentive and no longer would I sit idly in class. Consequently, I found myself to be the class interlocutor, with the more questions asked, the better I understood the material. Studying was only hard the first time, and after I received my first A, it became an obsession rather than a chore. Finding inside myself a rooted passion for learning, school transformed from a place of toxic confinement to this marvelous sanctuary, providing endless opportunities to grow as a student and samaritan. Subjects such as English, biology, theology, and government careened to the forefront of my mind almost immediately following my change in