Essay for American University

I am young for my grade. Two days after I turned 17, my friend turned 18. When I bemoaned this fact to my mom last fall, she pointed out how many things would have changed if I had started school one year later. "You wouldn't have met Kim," she said. And on she went, noting all the differences. It made me realize how many individuals and events shape a person's life, each and every day. With that in mind, it is difficult to single out one, but I have tried nonetheless.

After pondering the question, one event and one individual stood out in my mind -- the event being the death of my father and the individual being last year's SGA president, Kim McGuire.

As a child, my dad would take my brothers and I on day trips to Washington. We'd walk through the museums, drive past the monuments, and scope out all the hidden spots my father knew best. One time, we drove by American University on the way home. He pointed it out to me, and for years thereafter, the drive-by view of the buildings and students amounted to my young idea of what a university is.

My father's death was a significant transition point during my growth from a child to a young adult. The day following first semester final exams in tenth grade, my father collapsed into cardiac arrest and lapsed into a coma. Two weeks later, he passed away. My omnipresent goal, to always realize and act on the fact that life is incredibly precious, was a result of this agonizing experience. Indirectly, I became more involved in school activities. In retrospect, I was reaching out to close friends and groups of people whom I could be with. I also suspect that my recommendation to two leadership conferences was a result of school staff members' attempts to reach out to me and draw me into school.

Whether or not this was their motivation, it worked. I returned to school my junior year energized and enthusiastic. I finally had the opportunity to take Newspaper, Web Design, and other classes I had looked forward to. I became the News Editor of the ìObserverî and attended SGA meetings more often than the class president. My grades improved, too -- a direct result, I believe, of my participation in school. But my true transformation did not take place until the end of the first semester of my junior year.

My ability to drive, coupled with the SGA president's efforts to get me involved with student government and my ever-increasing enjoyment of Newspaper class allowed me to develop a unique niche inside the school environment. Meeting with the principal, participating in conversations about the future of programs, expressing a student's viewpoint to a room full of administrators, informing the student body of important facts they may not know  what wonderful opportunities to have. Becoming an officer with the county SGA organization taught me how students can create positive change, rather than just plan events.

My ambitions have grown by leaps and bounds during my high school career. In the past three years, I have transformed from a shy, introverted student into an ambitious, extroverted young adult. Since entering high school, I have more clearly focused my dreams of becoming a journalist. I look forward to the next stage in my life, where I will continue to grow and change.