AP Government and Politics is not a senior class, many students take it freshman year as a trial run for their future of many advanced placement classes. However, the course ends up with students from all four grades. My teacher gave the senior students a final presentation which included a collage of pictures from all four years, the highs, and the lows, advice for underclassmen, and how we will continue our civic participation. It allowed me to reflect on what I’ve learned from the past four years. Since I spent most of my freshman year virtually, it feels more like I only did three years, nevertheless, they felt super long. Having a shy personality, I always knew I was not going to love high school. 

Freshman Year 

2020 was insane, starting in high school that year just made it not feel real. My highs include how easy skipping was, how classes were easy, how teachers barely gave work, and how there was no school on Wednesdays. A four-day week was extremely beneficial for me because I could use it as a catch-up day just because the craziness of my home life and school work all blurred into one. It was unfortunate that DeKalb will probably never try that again. 

My lows include having to come to in-person school in the second semester. There weren’t that many kids who came because there was no reason to. Yet, my mom made me because my brothers were basically failing. Other lows included boring school days, being the only kid physically in class, and the isolation that came with this time. 

In regards to advice, mine is not to be scared of anyone or anything, and if you are fake it. Understanding that high school wasn’t scary and nothing was physically hurting me helped me to be resistant towards putting myself a little out there. 

Sophomore Year 

The Fall of 2021 was the beginning of the end. Psych! It was just the first time everyone was allowed in the building all at once. I wouldn’t count that as a high. I think it actually made me alarmingly anxious. Though, perhaps that might’ve been everyone since everyone was so awkward. My history teacher quit the year before, so I just didn’t have a history for the first couple of months. It was sad for me because I actually really love history. 

My highs included walking around a lot and having the time to read. My world literature helped expose me to various non-American literary figures. 

My advice for sophomores is to join a bunch of new clubs and organizations. If you are truly interested in a club, definitely become an active member in whatever you’re doing. It was also the year that I started volunteering. It allowed me to learn new things about the community that I’m a part of. 

Junior Year 

Everyone always says junior year sucks, and it did. However, it was way better than the previous years. One of my highs was reading a lot, though it was mostly works that were assignments, they were still quite interesting. For instance, reading “Borges and I” in Spanish was one of the reasons I became interested in Spanish literature. I could connect with it, as I often struggle with my internal and external self. I understood it in the language it was created which sifted out any bias from translations. Thus, another one of my highs was being able to connect with my heritage as a result of taking AP Spanish. I also became a Questbridge Prep Scholar. 

My lows of junior year are lack of sleep and self-isolation. I had horrible time management and would stay up all night trying to memorize significant events from 1844 to 1877 in U.S. history. 

I advise everyone not to procrastinate on their assignments. Also studying a little a day is more impactful than all the night before. Take risks and experiment. Be spontaneous because why not? I bleached my hair one night the weekend before finals. It took me a month to get tired of it but, I had to do it to know I didn’t like it. 

Senior Year 

I felt extremely unprepared for senior year. It is the last day of April, it still hasn’t hit me that I’m just not going to be at this school next year. My high points of this year include learning, which I have done every year, but my teachers seemed to have been more serious about their topics and relating them to the real world. For instance, learning the value of ethnic studies and Racial Psychological Theory. I started working at a fast-food place, which is quite scary. But that paycheck isn’t.  Another rewarding feeling was brought about by my college acceptance letters. 

In the fifth grade, we had a school field trip to Emory. I thought it was wonderful until I googled the reviews. I remember reading people comparing it to a playground for rich kids. As I closed the computer, I essentially gave up on that dream.  When I opened my acceptance letter, I felt nothing but complete happiness. 

Sleep is for the strong. My lowest moment of senior year was going to school with an hour of sleep. My willingness to meet deadlines does not allow me to have a safe sleep schedule. 

I was a Questbridge Finalist, which was an accomplishment, but I didn’t get matched which made me feel like a disappointment. I couldn’t stop listening to “The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA. I was not the winner. Voluntarily having seven classes and six AP classes was also a pretty low moment. I’m a victim, a survivor with a high GPA. 

My advice for this year is to take many pictures. Personally, I’m not dropping a thousand dollars on a camera. I have a small Canon – PowerShot and it gets the job done. My quiet life brought about a modest high school experience. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I’m proud of myself for grasping at opportunities as if they were straws for a better future.