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.
A time when I was faced with a significant challenge, but learned to overcome it was sophomore and junior year in history. History has always seem to be the class I tend to struggle in, no matter who I sit next to or how many notes I take. Sophomore as time when on to second semester I realized I wasn’t doing well; I was procrastinating with homework, not doing well on test, and stated to pay less attention in class. I got a D for the first semester and when I saw that on my report card I knew I had to change something. I realized history need to become a much higher priority.
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.
Being a first generation college student was a big challenge for me. A new life ahead of me had just started, it was like a new book with a new page on it. I started off going to community college which was such a big impact in my life, I was able to learn many valuable things that at the beginning I wasn't prepared for. I want to make a bigger impact not only for my self but for others as well. I want to motivate people that no matter what gets in the way, or the circumstances we are facing, we can all fight for what we want.
Attending community college has opened many doors and presented many opportunities for me. With the help of my professors and the education I gained from my classes, I was hired at a company that will help me continue to grow. I was hired at a Fastenal branch in Three Rivers, Michigan because of my academic and intellectual skills I learned at Glen Oaks Community College. At Fastenal there are often times situations where a customer needs a product that is either not in stock at the store or a mass quantity that cannot be filled by the inventory in the store.
As a first generation college student, I have the desire to not only make my parents proud of my academic achievements, but to be the first person in my family to receive a college degree. At a very young age, I was always expected to receive A’s and B’s in my school assignments, as well as my final grades. However, I was never rewarded or congratulated whenever I did receive those grades because it was already expected of me to achieve them. Hence, a time in which I have experienced failure but also felt like I let my family down was when I received a D in my Critical Thinking course I was already retaking for the second time. The first time I took Critical Thinking was during the summer in which it was an 8-week long course.
When I walked into Mr. Clayton’s class last year on the first day of school I laughed when he said, “I’m going to teach you how to read.” Little did I know he wasn’t kidding. I was a little intimidated taking his class because in my previous freshman year I was in non-honors English 1. All my life I’ve had trouble interpreting and really understanding beyond the general storyline. The first thing Mr. Clayton talked to us about was learning the deeper meaning behind things
A true High school story cannot be believed. Most of the problems we face in high school involve sex, drugs, bullying, and endless drama. Parents and teachers are aware teenagers go through things like this I mean c’mon it’s the classic stereotype but they don’t seem to believe that they’re really happening anyway, the irony. The pressure to know the newest slang and trends is real and very much a struggle people face when trying to fit in.
Wrong again. We had to *shudder* introduce ourselves to the class. I distinctly remember my introduction because I was so taken back by my instructor 's response. At the time, I was dead set on becoming a marine biologist. So, my freshman self said, "Hi, my name is ____, and I want to be a marine biologist."
One of the places that I have personally observed and felt judgments based on my gender and presence was in high school debate. A fun fact about me is that I competed in Speech and Debate for four years and earned four varsity letters from my beloved GlenOak High School. My category was known as Public Forum Debate and my partner was my long time best friend Malcolm Guy IV. Two teams consisting of two people would give alternating speeches for their side, either affirming or negating the selected topic of the month.
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 was hiding under an obnoxious yellow slide for at least fifteen minutes, as a four-year-old fifteen minutes stretch out longer than they should be. Every minute was a small eternity and to me, I didn't think they were coming back. I was alone. I peeked my head out from the slide and crooned to listen for sounds of laughter. Hoping to hear someone screaming "I found you!"
"Remember class, your biology test is tomorrow and it is 35% of your grade! It is up to you whether you pass or you fail. We have been studying and going over the material for weeks now, so there will be no re-takes." Ms. Jenkins harshly said. I sighed, knowing that I wasn't going to do well on that exam.
If someone were to ask me what I learned in high school, I could say a lot of things. I could talk about my Lifespan Development class and how I learned a lot about babies and prenatal care, and how much it helped me when my sister got pregnant and had questions that I always knew the answer to. I could talk about how much it helped me to learn how to multiply percentages in Algebra, because now when I go grocery shopping, I can add tax and know exactly how much money I’m spending before I even get to the register. I could even talk about how after taking a field trip with my Family Studies class, I realized that I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. These are some of the things I learned in high school that prepared me for life or my next step in education.
The person in question whom I observed was an unknown face to me. I had been in a study hall class in my schools business room/computer lab when I observed them. We were alone except the teacher. Yet it was amazing what I saw and felt happen as they worked. I could see them at first sitting with perfect posture and position as we are taught in computer typing classes.
