Personal Narrative: Prairie Ridge High School

I’ll never forget how I felt the first time I walked into Prairie Ridge High School. I was surrounded by approximately sixteen hundred other students and I knew exactly none of them. I had never been that alone before and when I walked through the cafeteria doors, I felt the first seed of doubt that maybe I should have stayed in Union, with my mom. At that moment, I wanted to turn around and run out of Prairie Ridge, hop in the car, and drive the four hundred miles back to my friends, my teammates, and the majority of my family. Instead, I took a deep breath and sat down. The lead up to that moment began about five months before, in March of my sophomore year. I had just come home from a FFA contest team practice and my parents told me that my dad was considering a job in the Chicago area. Things snowballed and by June my dad had accepted the job and was in Crystal Lake. Our house was put on the market and I was given a decision to make. I could either stay in Union

Now, a year later, I have had to learn to speak up and make my voice heard. I have grown as a leader, as a friend, as a teammate, as a person. My perspective of the world has changed, for the better, and I have had access to opportunities I never could have dreamed of in Union. I became more self-sufficient, since my dad worked long hours and I had to take on more responsibility.

My transition to adulthood came down to a single choice. Should I move four hundred miles away from my friends and my mom going into my junior year of high school or stay in Union, where I was comfortable, without my dad? Have I struggled with my decision? Yes. Have I regretted it? Not for a second. Moving to Crystal Lake has afforded me opportunities I could have never dreamed of and allowed me to meet incredible people who have pushed me to become a better version of myself, something I could never