May Writers!!!!!!!!!

This is our last batch of blog writers.  Our school year has come to end.  Please read ALL submissions for the month.  Choose three of them and leave helpful, constructive feedback for the writer.  Your comments are due Monday, May 20.

Class of 2019,

I want to thank you for participating in this online discussion activity.  Know that this blog stays live and your work will be archived each year.  If you ever wish to visit again, please know that you are always welcome.   Sometimes it is refreshing to read young authors' original pieces when your hectic adult life is a bit much.

Thank you for the honesty, the funny, the serious, the scary and the sometimes weird for all of this feeds the soul.

All my love,

Mrs. Solano

https://pixabay.com/photos/magnolia-trees-springtime-blossoms-556718/

With All I Had--Michael

With all I had on my back, I could muster a coin or two worth of lilac. A single blossom is all I asked for. A single flower would suffice my taste, but alas I was too far from the shore and even further from a brush of lilac. How stricken with grief I was then, too young to comprehend and too old to forget. Adrift I had found myself and beyond the measure in which I could go back.
I saw, in the frozen, dismal night a hundred lights fluttering along the shore. They were looking for me, armed with lanterns which burned brighter than the stars in the heavens, but the darkness of night shielded my form from them. I heard them call out into the darkness words of recollection and persuasion but I covered my ears. I knew that if I listened, I’d shed more tears. My heart ached at the thought of leaving them but what other choice did I have?
Perhaps what I did was a reaction of desperation towards selfish dreams. To what horrid desire would I lend my people abandonment. I struggled to understand the consequences of my absence, pondering of what might have been if I hadn’t left. Yet to what use would my musing mind have if the possibilities of life with them were endless. I had made my decision and no powers by man or God could ever prevent my diverging course from the shoreline of stars. A thousand gallons of blackened sea stood between us now, and yet their agony was so mighty that I could sense its compressing nature. Unfortunately, even with all I had, not a single ounce of my being could stand the perpetual torture I recieved. They couldn’t save me if they tried because I wouldn’t let them. It wasn’t by their fault that I performed the heedless action of exalting myself from their lives. For it was in my own self- regarding state that I chose to sail out into the void.
Out here you’re still on my mind. But I’m already beyond the precipice, beyond the point of no return. It’s difficult to withhold my regrets, I’d be a liar if I said otherwise. My greatest regret would have to be that I wasn’t strong enough for you, even with all I had I couldn’t fend off the self induced misery eating away at my heart. I allowed the demons of turmoil to take advantage of my vulnerabilities, my limbs being guided to perform an atrocity against my beloved family and friends. Undoubtedly, I have nothing now, not even enough for a single blossom of lilac.

How to make Shrimp Scampi 101--Morgen

What You'll Need:

How to make Shrimp Scampi 101:

1. Chopped Garlic
   
2. “I cant believe its not butter! Or the butter of your
   choice
   
3. Crushed Bell Pepper
   
4. 2 Lemons
   
5. Shrimp
   
6. White Cooking Wine
   
7. Olive Oil
   
8. A Stainless Steel Pan with the Cover 
   
   
   
   
   Step 1: Put your stainless steel pan on the stove with a medium fire and let your pan heat up for approximately 5 minutes. 
   
   
   
   Step 2: After the 5 minute wait, add olive oil, butter, and your chopped up garlic into the pan. Add cover, letting it sattee to a light brown color. 
   
   
   
   Step 3: Then, pour your shrimp into the sauteed garlic and
   stir thoroughly. After, apply the cover to your pan and leave it on a medium fire for 15 minutes. Check and lightly stir every 5 minutes. (Look for your shrimp to pinken) 
   
   
   
   Step 4: Add Crushed Bell pepper to your liking. (The more, the better!) Step 5: It is now time to wash your lemons and cut them in half. 
   
   
   
   Step 6: Squeeze both lemons until juiceless, immediately following 1 cup of white cooking wine.
   Step 7: Add the cover and let the shrimp cook under the medium fire for an additional 15 minutes. 
   
   
   
   Step 8: While waiting put away all ingredients. (Clean as you go)
   Step 9: After your 15 minutes are up, plate and enjoy your delicious Shrimp Scampi! 
   
   
   
   
   

Till Death Do Us Part--Mackenzie

Olivia met Greed the day she came into this world. Greed was barely present at her birth, he seem disinterested, more concerned with his work and cellphone. This became a common theme with him, his entire existence revolved around making money at the expense of hardworking people. While he did provide a more than comfortable lifestyle for her, it was a blueprint for disaster in her life. 

Olivia’s role model taught her to devalue people of a lower status. She had a sense of entitlement that Greed nurtured in her, he would laugh and say, “That’s Daddy’s little girl.” Olivia thought that everything in life should be handed to her without any extra effort of her part.
Olivia met Envy the same day she met Greed, but didn’t recognize her until her formative years. It all started with her sixth birthday. The extravagant affair became something Olivia expected to be topped every year. Envy had to display her wealth so that no one could be perceived as better than her. If a neighbor bought a new car, she had to one up them. Petty jealousness was her motivation, Olivia began to show these tendencies amongst her friends and classmates. At her best friend’s 13th birthday party, kids were heard saying, “This party is way better than Olivia’s!” After that incident, Olivia saw her friendship as a competition. She just had to be better than her best friend in everything they did together. 

Sloth met Olivia the same day Greed and Envy did. Sloth started off as a caring older brother who doted on Olivia. He was a happy child who grew into a sullen, depressed teen. His way to cope with Greed and Envy was to overeat and stay in his dark room on the computer. Sloth was the only person in her life that somewhat grounded her, she valued his opinion if even she didn’t listen to him. He became a recluse, Olivia recognized his change, but brushed it off as she was more distracted by her social status. Eventually his depression led him to take his life, Olivia was 15 when she lost her brother Sloth. This affected her more than she was able to realize. 

Olivia had her first encounter with Lust at 16. He was an older high school drop out of 19. They met at a friend’s party late one night. To her, it was love at first sight, she became infatuated with Lust. He was a con artist who palled around with rich kids, he had no responsibilities and only wanted to party and do drugs. Lust desperately wanted to be wealthy and accepted by his rich friends, he figured Olivia would be the perfect girl he could take advantage of. Olivia was pretty, naive, and easy to manipulate. He introduced her to his lifestyle, she quickly dove into the scene without hesitation because she was so enamoured with him. She loved the way Lust made her feel, he put her on a pedal stool even though to him it was disingenuous. Although she thought he loved her, he only used her for her money. Their love story ended after a year when he left her for another younger girl. 

After the breakup, Olivia met Gluttony. They met each other when she looked into the mirror after hours on end of crying. To handle the breakup, she partied harder and did more drugs to mask the extreme pain she felt. Gluttony took control and Olivia gladly followed. She missed out on being a normal teen in order to self medicate with fleeting highs whose duration got shorter and shorter. One night when the high couldn’t take the pain away, Gluttony convinced her a lot more could do no harm. Overindulgence had already become a norm for Olivia, but this night she went above and beyond what she normally used. Olivia woke in the hospital after a few days of being in a coma. 

In the hospital, Olivia met Wrath. Greed and Envy couldn’t bear to lose another child, they finally accepted responsibility for their shortcoming as parents. Along with her doctor, they forced Olivia to detox from the drugs and begin rehab. The withdrawals caused Wrath to be born. Olivia cursed at anyone who tried to help her, her body suffered and Wrath consumed her. She hated everyone and wished she could be with Sloth. When Wrath loosened her grip, Pride took over. Pride convinced her that rehab was beneath her, only loser drug addicts were in rehab. Olivia was not a loser drug addict, she was just a normal girl doing whatever it took in order to get by. Pride did not allow her to embrace sobriety, she made her resistant to her steps. Olivia left treatment because Pride told her to, this pattern repeated itself for a number of years. One cold morning in a strange house that Olivia rested in, Pride dejectedly walked away. 

At 28, Olivia was finally free from her oppressors.

How to create a song on your phone--Frankie

Making music is a fun and entertaining hobby that can spark creativity and when creating and releasing songs, it is amazing to see progression in skills and creativity. For this “How To” I will be showing how to create song on an iPhone using GarageBand (although you can use any music software, it doesn’t even have to be on the phone, but this I feel is the most accessible,) and to make things a little easier, I will be showing a song that I have already made and is one of my favorites of my works, a cover/remix and mashup of Tear in My Heart and Hometown by Twenty One Pilots. It might be easier to listen to the song before reading to have a better understanding as to what I’m talking about. https://youtu.be/KgwolMLNem4
Step 1: Setting Tempo and Organization
The first thing you want to do is set your tempo in the Song Setting menu. For this song, the tempo is 120 bpm, which means 120 beats per minute. The time measure we will be using, and the one that’s most popular is 4/4, which means 4 beats in a measure. We also want to give ourselves extra measures using the + button below the settings menu. When working on a song, it is also important to keep your work organized, for this song, I have basses on top, then vocals, then drums, then keyboards, then the synths, but you can put it in any order you like, and add or remove instruments to create your own sound, for this song I went for more of a synth vibe with bells and pop drums. 

Step 2: Create your melody
Usually what you want to do first is think of the melody you want, personally sometimes I start off with a bass riff, guitar riff, or a piano melody then work from there. For this song, I have an electric and regular piano to create a hybrid sound. You also, for the most part, want to stay in key, what that means is staying within the range of notes that work well together. To keep it simple, you can decide on a note and look up the major scale for that note, this will create a happier sound, or a minor scale for a more sad sound. 

Step 3: Drums
Once you have your melody you can decide what type of drums you want, and using the presents on GarageBand you can choose from a variety of live-sounding or electronic drums. You can

mix and match different sounds, it is all personal preference to create the sound you want, in this song I used a variety of drums to create a real drumset-like sound. 

Step 4: Vocals
For this song I used the vocals from the original songs, which at the time I didn’t know was a bad thing to do without permission (oops.) However, you can sing, or rap, or even not have vocals at all. For example, most LoFi songs usually have someone talking in replacement for singing or rapping. Most EDM songs use vocal chops, which is a technique where you cut the vocals into random spots and use them for melodies, a technique I myself still find very difficult to do, but some may find it easy, it all just depends on creativity and practice. 

Step 5: Song Structure

To structure a song, it all depends on personal preference. To explain this, I will be talking about a couple artists/songs and how they differ in structure. Daft Punk, with their electronic music, for the most part structure their songs in a way where they add a new sound and or melody after 4/8 measures (16/32 beats) and have a bridge, then continue the main melody. Some songs have long intros before they really get started, such as Passionfruit by Drake. Some get started right away with a “drop” or chorus, such as Game Over by Martin Garrix and LOOPERS. There is no correct way to structure a song, it all depends on the type of sound you are going for.
Tips for getting started and my personal experience
For people that are new to music in general, it is helpful to use a metronome to stay on beat, and to quantize for extra help, it is also helpful to just keep practicing and listening to all types of music to get new ideas, and when you take a step back to see progress, it is such a fulfilling feeling. Personally, I gave up music because I was covering songs and starting to use my own voice, and there was a mental barrier I couldn’t pass, but now I’m getting back into it and am planning on releasing a collection of songs in the summer. If you want to be updated on when i release music, you can follow my Instagram @dj.heartbeat, there I have links to my SoundCloud as well for more of my music.

How to Clash Royale(Pro Gamers Only)--Nick

Disclaimer: Before we get this how to started I just want to say that I am not the best clash player ever(although pretty close to it), so if some of you pros in my class see something that you disagree with or see that I could be doing better then please feel free to comment. And this game has a lot of little things that I might not go over so just be aware of that.
Clash Royale is a RTS(Real Time Strategy) game, where you create your own deck of troops to use against other people, to try to destroy their towers, and the one to destroy the most towers by the time that the time limit is reached is the victor, or you can automatically win by destroying the opponent's king tower.
Step 1: Now that we’ve gotten the overview of the game out of the way the how to can start, and first things first, you must download the game if you ever hope to get good at it. Don’t worry the game is free. And once you’ve downloaded the game then the process of learning how to play and get better can begin. 

Step 2: As soon as you open up the game it will put you through a quick tutorial. This will help you get a feel for the very basic aspects of the game like the objective of the game and how to use the cards in your deck. One thing that you may notice at the bottom of your screen is the purple meter.

This meter will slowly and continuously fill up until it reaches a max of 10 elixir. You use this elixir to summon your troops that you would use to either attack your opponent or defend your own towers.
Step 3: There are three different types of cards. Troops, spells, and buildings. Each one is useful in their own ways. Troops are pretty self explanatory, when they are place they will move towards the enemy tower and attack any enemies along the way. Spells are cards that you summon that have different effects on troops. For example, some damage, one heals your troops, and another freezes enemies. Finally, buildings are cards that when are placed are used as either stationary defences for your towers or to spawn a small amount of troops over time.
Step 4: This step is about deck creation, each person prefers different cards and has their own play style, so this step takes a little trial and error, and testing out which cards you like to use the best and what works well with other cards. When making a deck you want to make sure the average elixir cost per card isn’t too high, because you want to be able place cards to defend your king tower if necessary.
Here is my deck for example: 

Step 5 : This step is to actually play the game and that means go online and play against other people. When playing there are quite a few different strategies on how to win. What I’ve found out after playing for a while is that most players are reactive instead of proactive, and this works perfectly with my playstyle. So what I like to do is wait until my elixir meter is almost full so I can have a strong first push. 

So once I do get my push going the other player is more often than not overwhelmed by my troops and has too little time to react and figure out a way to save their first of three towers.
This is my signature push: 

Step 6: You must always have a backup strategy, if your going to win and get better you must be able to adapt to your opponent and the cards that they use. This is why I have a backup strategy in place. One thing that I do is that I place some troops on one side in order to fake a push in order to get my opponent to use all his elixir defending, and after they do that you put cards on the other side for your real push. You may sacrifice some damage on the side that you faked your push on but in most cases you will be the one that comes out on top of the trade. Or if you find that the opponent has one card that really messes you and your deck up, you should try to make them play that card, then capitalize off the fact that they cant use it on you anymore until they go through their entire deck again.

Step 7: These are just a few things that you can do in order to win, but the only real way to get better at the game is by actually playing in it. Like many other things in life you have to actually experience them to understand them. Once you’ve formulated your own strategy that best fits your play style then you can start to get better and progress. And when you win make sure you always assert your dominance by emoting on the other player. My personal favorites are the crying emoji and the oops message button.
And if you were wondering I absolutely destroyed Deacon. 

P.S. If any of you guys want to join my clan feel free. Our name is Eagle Pride EHS.

Learn how to ice skate in 9 easy steps... --Halle

O nce upon a time, in a land far far away called the Philippines, I was enrolled in a
figure skating program at the age of seven. I fell in love with the sport and continued to pursue it till I was thirteen. Since I started high school and life got busy, I was no longer able to spend my weekends and afternoons at the ice rink. However, I come back once in a while to relieve my stress or to simply just spend time with loved ones.
MATERIALS NEEDED

1. Rental skates
   
2. Gloves (or your hands WILL freeze)
   
3. SOCKS
   
4. Comfortable pants (I prefer sweats/leggings over jeans)
   
5. Jackets, Sweaters, or Coats
   
6. Dinero $$$
   

STEPS:
1. Find skates that are exactly your size . This is important because having

them too loose or too tight on you can be dangerous and will cause you to
lose your balance and hurt yourself.

2. Tie your skates correctly : If you don’t tie them correctly, you will probably
   fall. Find a friend/staff member to help you or watch this 93-second
   tutorial! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEDw1I4XwQI
   
3. Finding your balance : Stand on two feet and stick both of your arms out
   in order to find your balance. (Do a T pose and assert your dominance!) 
   
   
   
   

It’s best to keep your knees bent and your weight forward because leaning back is your ticket to landing on your butt. If you are having trouble balancing, the railing is your friend!

4. Start marching: Once you are able to finally balance on your own, start marching on the ice. This is the first step to gliding.
   
5. Glide: (This is a bit complicated but trust me, once you get the hang of it, you’ll feel like a pro figure skater already!) Push off with your dominant
   

foot first in diagonal motion, as if you were on a scooter. It might help to have your arms in front of you or to the sides in order to keep your balance. Do the same scooter movement for both feet: push off of your dominant foot, rest both feet on the ice, then push off with the dominant
foot. You should be able to skate around your area by repeating these

steps. 

6. Learn how to do a snowplow stop : I used to think that skating to the
   nearest railing or the nearest friend was the only way to stop. However, I eventually learned this technique and it allowed me to stop anytime and
   avoid embarrassing moments such as crashing into strangers. Start with pushing your feet apart while pointing your toes inward (as if you were pigeon-toed). You should notice yourself slowing down and eventually coming to a stop. Keep your arms out once again to maintain balance.
   
   
   
   
7. “Can you make it dip? :” Once you’ve mastered gliding, as you are moving, squat down as far as possible. For this technique it is better to have both of your arms out in front of you- (but don’t hit anyone because that’s considered abuse)
   

8. “ I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!:” It’s normal to fall on the ice, we’ve all been there, so do not let this discourage you from having a great time! After falling, turn over to your front side and have your knees and hands touch the ground. In between your arms, lift up one one of your knees so that your foot is flat on the ground. Lift up the other knee in between your arms

as well, and stand up!

9. Have fun and explore ! : There are many tricks you can do once you’ve
mastered these steps. If you’re brave enough, try racing your friends if try gliding with one foot. If you’re interested in learning other tricks, there’s plenty of youtube tutorials out there or maybe try taking a few lessons. 

10. Don’t give up: It’s normal to not get all these steps down during your first visit, everyone is different and it’s the experience that matters.

Ice skating is not only a therapeutic outlet of mine, but it also allowed me to improve my balance and coordination. It’s an amazing workout for those who absolutely hate sweating or being out in the sun, (like me) and most of all, it allowed me to strengthen
my leg muscles and improve my flexibility over time.
Here’s 10 year old me :) 

May we meet again--Ari

October 12, 2012. Cold. Anxious. My eyes fixate on white walls and white floors. The strong aroma of sterilizing cleaning products and alcohol suffocates my senses. Those around me appear like silhouettes reeking of loss and despair. Doctors and Nurses run in and out of rooms to aide the endless list of those in need. The sound of rhythmic beeping fills my ears and increases my fears. As I walked into the ICU room, twenty two, the reality of my worst nightmares appeared before my eyes. There you ly, relying on wires to keep you alive. The beeping gets louder as I find myself at your bedside. Your face, drained of color, your body, lifeless. You endured so much that night that the 9 hour brain surgery sent you right into a comatose state. The view of you sent my brain to recollect on all of our memories from the countless family vacations to the game nights on every holiday. I remember the summer days we spent swimming, playing tag, the scavenger hunts you made for all of our christmas gifts.I remember how every birthday you would make a carrot cake because it was your form of showing us that you loved us.I remember your lego city and how hard your worked on it and yet when we accidently broke it you never got mad, you simply cleaned up and rebuilt. You taught me so many things like how to not be afraid of doing things even if you fail at first. I took these for granted, thinking that the good times will never end. As my mind processes this new reality, Life support kept your body alive but the doctors said that if you made it through you would not remember your family, how to talk, how to walk, or even your name. On that day, we crafted hope and strength from hospital beds. Hoping that you would pull through and that everything will be copacetic. Yet again the beeping continued, it brought me peace knowing that you were still there. However, my young mind could not comprehend or simply even try to understand that the hope and strength we created would not change the outcome. I knew you had more fight left in you but at this time we had to pull the plug and my hope was faltering, scared of the possible outcomes and terrified because i could not control the variables.The doctors took you off life support. The beeping continued. Rhythmically one after one it continued as tears of joy pricked at the corners of my eyes,but before i got the chance to take a sigh of relief, my whole world came crashing down. The beeping stopped and instead was replaced by a high pitch tone that seemed never ending. You flatlined. You were gone and there was no amount of tears, screaming, or pleading that could bring you back. I took you for granted, my naive mind thought that you would be there forever. However life is not eternal, its fragile and short. Losing you taught me that love is stronger than pain. Losing you taught me that love is forever but most importantly your absence taught me to have a greater appreciation for those I love. I was taught to express that love before it's too late because tomorrow is never guaranteed and you will never know when your time is up.
To my sweet nephew, I love you and one day I hope that we get the chance to meet again.

Taking a Step Back--Sophia

Hey everyone, so this event happened in the recent year quite and with us graduating soon, I think it needs to be read to give us a little reminder not to belittle anyone with their pathway to further their education. Never forget, a college is a college, no matter the name of the school, and education is an education, no matter where the certificate or degree comes from.  So one day, I was with my aunt, shopping at Target and we ran into an old friend of hers. They are catching up on everything because they have not seen each other in about 6 years. Feeling like eternities later, the question popped up of where their kids have gone to college. My aunt’s friend, let’s just call her Susan, asked my aunt where my cousin went to college, because as a teenager, he had big plans to become an engineer. However, Susan did not let my aunt answer; she went on talking about her son, Josh, (this is his real name). Growing up with their family, Josh was neglected love from his family, but he was doing everything they had wanted. He was living his life through their dreams. Fast forward to their graduation, my cousin and Josh were scholar athletes with scholarships everywhere, and of course, Josh took a scholarship from a private university farthest away from home, which made them move away, but my cousin did not. My cousin took a step back and realized that he did not feel like the campuses were a place for him to be. Back to present day, Josh then popped up in the Target aisle we were in, because he came home to visit his parents, who moved back home a few months ago, and I was able to catch up with him privately.

Moments later, we hear his mom and my aunt arguing, while we were still at Target. My aunt became defensive because his mother was degrading my cousin for attending a junior college instead of a private university like Josh. My cousin made a decision to go to a junior college and transferred later to a California State University because he says that “it just did not feel right at that time (to be away from home).” My aunt and uncle respected his wishes, for him to figure out what he really wants to do, and let him do as he pleases, as long as he is happy. My cousin has had a healthy relationship with his family, became independent, and was elated with his choices for where he went to school, and claims he does not regret taking a step back. Josh on the other hand never had a “relationship” with his parents, was quite miserable in college because it is where his parents wanted him to go and what they wanted him to do as well. Today, Josh is trying to be happy with his career and to build a relationship with his parents, different from what it used to be.

The moral of the story is that you should not be ashamed of where you are going for school post-secondary education. It is okay to take a step back and to figure out what you want to do career wise while there is still time. A trade school, junior college, public or private university, and the name of the school does not define who you are and what type of education you receive. Be proud of yourself for making it this far and for making the decision to further your education.

Lights, Camera, Action!--Chenel

Lights, Camera, Action! As a young girl I dreamed like so many. I wanted to be famous, my

name shining in the bright lights of Hollywood. One day a phone call would change everything. The lights slowly began to dim, I could not see clearly, and nothing seemed bright anymore.

My dad had a major stroke. For more than a year, hospital visits were innumerable. My father’s had a long road of recovery. In order to live he needed a heart transplant. Spending so much time visiting my dad in the hospital and helping my mom care for him, I begin to gain an interest in the medical field.
Being observant to the positive effects of my dad’s medications sparked my interest in pharmaceutical studies. The first semester of my junior year I enrolled in a ROP Pharmacy Clerk class. Five days of school became six days of school, including Friday evenings. At times it was challenging, but I was determined to complete the additional course of study. While attending Pharmacy Clerk class I was given the opportunity to volunteer at the same hospital that rehabilitated my dad after his stroke. I volunteered in Unit Support two days a week. I accumulated 58 service hours of volunteering. This past summer I achieved my greatest accomplishment, being the only African-American selected out of hundreds of applicants as an intern for Kaiser Permanente Summer Youth Intern Program. Only 15 high school students were chosen as interns. During my internship I experienced the reality of working in a hospital.

I was assigned to the Respiratory Therapy Unit. I enjoyed the environment of working in the hospital. The overall learning experience shifted a change in my career path. This gratification of direct patient care is my reason for choosing Nursing as a career. I am passionate about helping people, especially children and special needs children. I have taken a special interest in

Pediatric Nursing. The internship lead me to my right career path. It was at that time I realized the bright lights I desired was just a reflection of a bright future. 

Community service was a bright light. I shined by helping others. A Certificate of Recognition was my Grammy Award. My extracurricular activity was community service. I am always looking for an opportunity to volunteer. My freshman year in high I was chosen as a youth council member for the City of Fontana Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council. The group is comprised of selected teens who are dedicated to improving our city. Members also get experience working with the City Council while learning leadership and organizational skills. Being a youth council member has helped me to develop interpersonal skills and build a level of self- confidence that keeps me determined to achieve my goals. Through personal experiences I have been able to help others. Soaring at my own level, I began to experience feelings of resentment by others. Sadly I became a victim of bullying by my own peers. I healed myself by recycling the pain into something positive. I co-founded G.L.A.M; Girls Leadership and Mentoring program. This mentoring program corporates life and leadership skills, while inspiring young ladies to excel. 

My junior year of high school was important for me. I worked effortlessly to maintain a good GPA that would be reflective on my transcripts for my college applications. I am a good student and not working hard is not part of my personal character. I find comfort in knowing all that I have overcome and overall achieved. I will not allow anyone despair me or sidetrack me from my goals of becoming a college graduate.

The Unlucky Year --Hannah

My eighth grade year will always go in the books as the worst year of my life, but also my best. In 2015, my parents got a horrible divorce. Everything about it was messy. I never knew that something some extreme as a marital affair would hit my family until it did. My best friend who really got me through all of the tough parts was my grandpa, Pappy. Pappy was the type of grandfather who everyone would want, he always went out of his way for my cousins and I, and would never question a situation we happened to be in. I was at water polo practice one night when my dad picked me up, which he never did, but with all the changes happening around me I did not question it. He started the car to tell me that my mom is going to the hospital to visit Pappy and that it’s not looking good. The following day my mom called my brother and I over the phone to tell us he had passed. Hearing this news hit me harder than hearing about my parents divorce. I never got the chance to say goodbye to the one person who knew me better than I knew myself. It felt like my whole world was crashing down, like I was drowning and I couldn’t come up for air. Being raised in a traditional household of God is real, there’s a heaven and hell; I never had the chance to believe what I wanted to believe in. In my head all I could keep thinking was, “God only gives you what you can handle”,which only got me through so much. Once my Grandpa passed I began to question my faith. I started thinking if there even was a God. I would tell myself, “if God truly loves every single one of us, why would he place something so emotional draining on my life”. As dramatic as I can be, I really thought my life was falling apart and that it was finally over. That night of hearing of my Grandpa’s passing, I was sitting on my couch and looked across to see my Pappy sitting there. In my ear I heard him say “Goodbye honeygirl” with a wave. It may have been a hallucination, but to this day I refuse to accept that it was and instead it was my goodbye to my Grandfather. People call me crazy for believing that, but I call them even crazier... because do you really think that my best friend was going to go away without saying bye? It was in that moment, I told myself that I’m not going to be so depressed and to change my outlook on life to think of everything as the glass is always half full. I knew it was going to take time, because no wound heals overnight, but eventually after many, many counseling sessions I became a very optimistic person with a very positive outlook on life. I may not have gotten a strong relationship back with God, but I was able to reopen it again and build a stronger relationship with my parents. I used to be ashamed of admitting that I come from a “broken home”, but it has attributed to the person I am today; strong, mature, and happy. Even though I was dealt a poor deck of cards, I soon saw that I don't have it as bad as others do. I am exceptionally loved, I have a warm bed to sleep in, clothes to put on, and food to eat. The year started off as the worst year of my life, but it soon became a year where I learned how to think for myself. Yeah, it was not the best year of my life, but somehow I feel lucky to have gone through something some tragic and come out of it so strong. Taking care of a younger brother who did not know how to take care of himself and a mother who felt more weak and broken than ever, I had to step up for my family and mature a lot faster than I would have without this situation. My parents split made what I want and don’t want in a future companion more clear, I was able to stick up for myself, and came out the end of a dark tunnel better than ever. My eighth grade year will always be surrounded with dark clouds in my memories, but I will never forget the sunshine I got coming out of it