Allow me to introduce myself, I am Bryan Le, a freshman that is currently attending a charter school by the name of “Downtown College Prep”. I am currently living with my parents and two younger siblings, one brother and one sister. Over my years in a public elementary school, I had seen others being happy because of one’s help and that made me feel happy inside. I then thought of ways to help others when I stumbled upon the fact that doctors help people everyday, which seemed as a great way to help many people so that they may continue to be happy in life. As I entered Downtown College Prep, I was urged by the staff to explore my options and to set a goal in life.
When I was was younger, I was a caterpillar crawling around trying to get through life, waiting to turn into the beautiful butterfly I know I could soon become. I made good decisions along with bad ones, saw the beauty in life as well as the unpleasant. I was like everyone else trying to be their own person, but now as I look at myself in the mirror I can finally see who I really am. I see myself as the beautiful butterfly I once dreamed of becoming, ready to fly down my own path. I have been in my chrysalis and I am finally out and ready to fly into my bright future.
Often, even now that I’m an online student I find myself wondering, how cool it would’ve been to enjoy the life as a college student? The atmosphere and football season really had my gears yearning for the experience single-handedly. Instead of taking my fancies seriously, I managed to become the employee who settled for “6 o’clock mornings”, endured twelve, sometimes sixteen hour days to eventually pick-up a check not worth cashing after Uncle Sam received his
When I started Unity High School I thought that it was going to be boring school because my first choice was Skyline but my mom made me come to this school so I had to obey what my mom wants because she takes care of me and helps me with whatever I need help with so going to the school that she wanted me to go to was the least I could have done. I thought that high school was going to be difficult because the work that my brother would bring home when he was in high school looked really hard and I did not understand most of the work he needed to complete. But I realized that I need to be taught the material before I go on and do the work
Through the experience of working as youth leader for freshman connection I have grown as a better leader. To help incoming freshman was incredible experience for me. I joined freshman connection to serve school and defiantly to get knowledge and team building skills out of it, so that it can help me make my college experience better. I think I have achieved all the goals that I wanted to through working as youth leader. Additionally, not only that but also to work on community service project on bullying has really allowed me to serve as teacher helper.
In my freshman year, I made a choice to relinquish some of my social life and replace that time giving back to my community. I joined a non-profit organization called the Volunteer Corp. We spent our time at food banks, park clean-ups, and even hosting local events. This experience left a lasting impression on me in many ways; however, one experience changed my perspective on life and serve as a constant reminder of how the smallest contribution to others can be the most powerful. St. Joseph University, in Philadelphia, held an event called Hand in Hand. It was an event dedicated to raising awareness for people with physical and/or developmental disabilities.
My whole life long, I have been trying to find a place where I can truly fit in. I have also been worried about what I would do when I grew up. I was torn between my passion for horses and my passion for performing. There was no way I could give up one for the other, so I searched the net for Christian colleges that had majors in both equine studies and vocal performance and there it appeared: Asbury University. It was manna from Heaven.
I graduated back in 2013 from a pretty decent school district. During high school I wasn’t an A student or a B student, I just did what I needed in order to pass. Once I got to my junior of high school I started taking things more seriously, I started making A’s and B’s. Once my senior year started the pressure was on. Everyone asking “what college are you thinking about attending?”
The freshman myth has really opened my eyes, after all I myself am a freshman in college straight out of high school. The fact that 18 million students in a single year apply for college and 34% of those students drop or flunk out of college is a little scary. I have big goals for life I want to be either a Jag for the Army or a Prosecuting Attorney. The freshman myth is what I was thinking my senior year; piece of cake, easy, not going to have to work as hard as I have the last few years of my life. I learned quick that senior year is a lot more stressful then it sounds.
I first heard of the Trailblazer Collegiate Academy during my freshman year enrollment. The idea of taking college classes at a community college while still in high school was appealing to me because my current coursework took no effort to complete and I wanted a challenge. Once I was a sophomore, I began looking into it more seriously. If I wanted to apply for the Academy, I had a short window of time to do so. After discussing it with my counselor I learned that my classes I took with the community college would factor into my GPA at the high school level.
My first year at Smith College was a whirlwind; I was elected as the freshman class president, rowed in the first boat on the novice crew team, and maneuvered the social and academic changes every freshman undergoes. I learned a lot about myself, such as what environment I succeed in. Most importantly, I learned that although I can excel, I do not thrive in an environment that highlights intense academic rigor. Rather, I envision myself thriving academically and socially advancing at a university that encompasses academics, social life, athletics, and has a large and diverse student body that resides both on and off campus. I attended a very small high school, and I thought I would find comfort in attending a small liberal arts college.
Throughout my last two years of high school, I constantly struggled to determine my college and career goals. I always knew that I intended to obtain a career that involved service to others and my community, yet I could never envision a career that captivated my interest. My high school education and applying to college were never crucial concerns to me during the time. During the summer of sophomore year, leading into my junior year, my father had passed away unexpectedly, leaving my mother to raise me and my two younger brothers on her own. Since I am the eldest of my family, I gained more responsibility for my brothers.
The challenge for me in this area of learning was my understanding of the importance of being on time and the importance of successfully exercising my time management
The first half of this semester was swift and I can’t believe how fast it passed by. College is a whole new world for me that I had never imagined with a lot of new experiences that I hope will shift me into a better and smarter person. There are more things I can do in college that I would have never dared to do in high school and I am happy for these new freedoms. I am able to eat in class, leave class without asking and they don’t care if I pay attention or not. My high school teachers would always tell me to wait for the bell, sometimes would not let me leave and if I did not pay attention they would yell.
I check my watch as I race to catch my first ever Austin Metro bus home. My metro bus ride to school in the morning proved disastrous. Taking the southbound rather than the northbound bus had left me confused while waiting for the return bus and embarrassed while explaining the reason for my late arrival to school. It 's 4:33. Oh man.
