One Step Closer Toward the End of High School

As my final semester of high school begins I can't help but look back to see how far I have come. Not only have I gone from awkward middle school to proud and confident young adult, I have sufficiently prepared myself for the real world. With my first semester of IQuest gone I have tested the waters on a job that could be a huge part of my future. Going into my final semester gives me a very weird nostalgic feeling but it also makes me want to continue forward to see what life has in store for me.

California High School has been a great place for me. Through all of my trials I know I have grown up and matured significantly more than I ever have. I would even claim that I have changed the most over this past semester because I finally realized I'm going to be on my own (in college at least) by next year and it has pushed me to become a better, independent, and more determined person. I think my education as a whole has been very successful and my ability to branch out and become social has shown tremendous improvements. On the other hand, I still have the feeling I missed out on some experiences in high school. It's a hard feeling to explain but when thinking about highs and lows of high school that feeling is the only low I can think of!

Although my grades have always been high in school I feel like I have become much more lazy in this last semester and I need to pick up the slack. I had straight A's earning an 4.2 the last semester but a couple of my grades were too close for comfort. I need to continue working hard like I have throughout school to finish off my last semester strong. Other than grades I am really looking forward to my final high school experiences. I'm going to try to spend as much time as possible with my friends and family because I know leaving them is going to be one of the toughest experiences of my life. I look forward to getting a job after I turn 18 (In less than two weeks), as well as doing my final performances in choir and with my musical theater company, STARS2000.

Before I finish high school I hope to finish a few things as a final hurrah.
1. Take a senior trip with my friends before we part ways
2. Get a job so I can update my Resume
3. Get organized/stay on top of things
4. Research what I could do with my major more
5. Study a little bit of engineering to give me a little head start in college.

Speaking of college, here is a list of the schools I applied to (in no particular order):
1. University of Southern California* (USC)
2. University of Arizona (UA)
3.University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
4. University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)
5. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
6. Texas Christian University (TCU)
*Top Choice


I applied to all of the schools under Mechanical Engineering except for UA. At UA I had to apply to the Engineering school and then I can declare once I get to the school. If I go there I will either choose mechanical or engineering management as they are the only school I applied to that offers it. I have heard back from UA and I got accepted with a $9,000 a year plus an iPad scholarship! Other than that I have to wait for a few more months to receive responses.The anxiety is killing me! 

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. - Steve Jobs