High School Lookback and Advice

Hi y’all! As I am preparing to start my senior year of high school in ONE week (crazy!), I have been doing a lot of looking back. Today’s post is a look back of my past three years of high school. I will be telling funny stories, sharing lessons I learned, and giving my advice for each year of high school. I hope you can relate or find this helpful!

Freshman Year:

The first day of high school.

Wow, let's just say we all go through the awkward

stage. I remember being super nervous about starting

high school. To be honest, the first day of high

school was kind of a blur to me. I go to a high school with

over 2,000 students, so I felt really overwhelmed.

Charity has always been a passion of mine. I have been

involved with the same charity, Clothes to Kids, since fifth grade.

Clothes to Kids provides kids in my community

with clothes for school free of charge. Freshman year

I decided to do an underwear drive. I collected 888

pairs of new underwear for Clothes to Kids. For the first

time in my life I felt influential. I remember feeling like I

had done something good and it felt good. Still I continue to

volunteer and collect for Clothes to Kids. This year I set a goal

to collect 1,000 pairs of new underwear!

Freshman year I got the opportunity to live out my dream and

dance the role of Clara in the Nutcracker. I had been in the

Nutcracker since I was four years old and every year

dreamed of being Clara. This experience taught me to never give

up. I also truly learned that hard work does pay off. I will never

forget the way I felt dancing on stage as Clara. The mix of

happiness and accomplishment felt so amazing.

The summer following my freshmen year I headed

off to a ballet intensive with Orlando Ballet. Freshman year, all

my time not spent at school was spent in a dance studio.

I loved dancing and that's all I wanted to do.

 

Now looking back on my freshman year, I would say one of the most important things to do is get involved in something and find something you love to do. As a freshman, you are just finding out who you are as a person and getting involved in different things helps you discover who you are and what you like to do. If I could change one thing about my freshman year, I would have gotten more involved in school sponsored things, like clubs and going to sporting events. I kept myself very busy with dance but I wish I had explored more of what my new school had to offer.

 

 

Sophomore Year:

I started sophomore year off very negative. I was not

excited at all about it and my negative attitude made me

dread school. In an effort to try to make me more excited

about school, my friend told me to decorate my locker

all fancy which only got me made fun of by the

upperclassmen. Basically, I started off the school year

hating school and constantly said I just wanted to

graduate. I guess I had senioritis as a sophomore.



Like freshman year, I spent most of my time focusing on

doing well in school and ballet. Two weeks before the

Nutcracker, I pulled the ligaments on the side of my

foot in rehearsal. I was devastated. I remember coming

home from the doctors and crying for like an hour. I had

worked so hard for it all to be taken away. Again, I had a really

negative attitude and just really wasn't happy.

(And yes those are Christmas lights on my crutches!)

 

Although it wasn't the smartest idea, here is

me dancing in the Nutcracker as the Snow Queen. My

foot was not completely healed but I was suborn and

lied and said nothing hurt. Following this performance, I

spent two months in physical therapy for my foot. It was

weird but during physical therapy, I lost my motivation to

strengthen and help my foot heal. After physical therapy,

dance just wasn't the same.

 

My surprise pink and green sweet sixteen! This was

one of the most fun days ever (thanks mom!). The week

of my sixteen birthday was crazy. I got my license, I decided to

stop dance, start playing golf, and accept Jesus as my

Lord and Savior. A lot happened and a lot was changing.

 

I was baptized and gave my life to Christ on May 5, 2013.

 Since then I have become a new person and continue

to grow in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I became such

a happy person and I began to see God's hand in

everything. The negativity in the my life went away and

I felt so alive. God truly did make my heart new.

My decision to stop dancing and start playing golf

was a tough one. I felt like I was losing a part of

myself. Dance had been a part of my life ever since

I can remember. I also felt like I was losing my friends.

The majority of my friends were friends through dance. I started

playing golf the summer after sophomore year. The whole sport

was new to me which was kinda scary but I instantly fell in

love with the game. I felt the same happiness I felt when I

used to danced. I practiced a lot over the summer so that

I could play on my high school's girl's golf team in the fall.

 

Now looking back on my sophomore year, I would say the most important thing is to not to try to grow up too fast. I thought I was ready to graduate and just wanted to move on from high school. Try to find the good things about high school and enjoy those things. Like I said before, I wish I had gotten more involved in school activities. My sophomore year was a crazy year that was far from perfect but I learned a lot about myself that year and I wouldn't change any of it.
 

Junior Year:

 For my junior year of high school, I enrolled in the early
college program which means I no longer attend my high school
and only take classes at the local community college. I remember
feeling overwhelmed but I was really excited to be at a new school
where I could meet new people. As for this picture, I think I was
running late on the first day and my mom just snapped this quick
picture as I left.

Although I was only taking classes at the college,
I still had the opportunity to play sports at my high school.
The fall of my junior year I was on the girl's golf team.
Overall, it was a great experience that again reminded me of the
importance of hard work and how it really does pay off. Because
I was still burnt out from dance, I didn't play to win or be better
than anyone else. I truly played to have fun which made
practice a time to better myself not compete. Being on the golf
team was like a breathe of fresh air. I am so looking forward to
starting practice for this year's season!

On the first day of my junior year, I met Maddy who
over the past year has become such a close friend.  It never fails to amaze me how different yet how much we are alike. Without Maddy, being in early college
would not be the same. She was always there for me whether I
need a pencil, goggles for lab, a lunch date, or someone to
vent to. I am truly blessed to have her as a friend.
(This picture was taken just a few weeks ago, read more about
it here)

My junior year was largely focused on college. In the spring of my junior year, my family took a road trip to the beautiful Auburn, Alabama to tour Auburn University. From the moment I walked on the campus, I was in love. Everything, except out of state tuition, was perfect. I never would have guessed a college tour could have been such a godly moment. I remember after the tour, we headed back to our hotel. At that point, we basically ruled out Auburn because of the tuition costs and because I have Florida pre-paid college. I remember feeling very angry. I just kept thinking how can I see something and it be so close but not possible. That night I opened my bible to Jeremiah 29:11, "for I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans that give you hope and a future." I was focusing on my plan and what I wanted not what God wanted. I always hear people pray about how they want God to take away the things in their life that aren't part of God's plan and this was my first time experiencing this. Although I don't know where I will be attending college yet, I am confident that God has a plan and I might not see it yet but it is far better than any plan I could imagine.

 

The bible says that as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. My friendship with my sisters in Christ does exactly that. These lovely ladies, in addition to many others at my church and in my life, inspire me, strengthen me, and are always there for me. Having a close group of friends to keep me accountable and focused on Christ had such a positive impact on my junior year of high school. We have continued to grow closer and I can't wait to see where God takes us after high school. I know God has a plan for these amazing girls and I know they will do amazing things for Christ.

I began the summer after my junior year by taking an awesome cruise through the Caribbean. On our cruise, my family went zip lining. (I have the coolest parents!). Any time before this I would have quickly rejected the idea of zip lining. I don't like heights and the thought of zip lining terrified me. For whatever reason, I decided to go zip lining while on the cruise. It was truly an awesome experience that was unlike anything I have ever done before. If you ever get the chance to do something crazy like zip lining, do it! Putting aside your fears and trying new things can be so fun. (I am wearing a bathing suit in this picture, not zip lining naked!) 

Early on in the summer, I visited the University of Florida which is about two hours from my house. I was really not interested and was dreading going to tour it. But once I stepped foot onto the campus, all of my preconceived judgments and thoughts were completely flipped upside down. To say I fell in love would be an understatement. From the atmosphere to the people to the academics, everything seems to fit me perfectly. As of now, this is my first choice college. If you are a junior and start touring colleges, I would say the most important thing is to keep an open mind. Try to leave your previous opinions out of the tour. Like I said, I don't where I will end up going to college but I know God has a plan that far exceeds any plan I could think of.

 

Now looking back at my junior year all I can say is wow, what a year! I think the most important thing I learned during my junior year was how to keep an open mind and how trying new things can be a great thing. I grew deeper in my relationship with God and had many moments that I experienced his grace. For me, junior year was filled with new challenges and stressors like college, SAT/ACT, and growing up. If you are entering your junior year, I would say the most important thing is to work hard like really hard.

 

 

I can’t believe that in one week I will be starting my last year of high school. I am excited, nervous, and sad all at the same time. This next year will be filled with lasts and many decisions. I am excited to see what God has planned for this next year of my life. If you have graduated high school, comment below or on Instagram your tips for senior year! Be sure to follow me on Instagram @MonogrammedMadison.