My 2014-2015 School Year
The year I...
I feel like I have changed a lot this year (hopefully in a good way), both mentally and physically. When I first entered 7th grade, I was a very gawky and awkward person. I still am, to be completely honest, but not nearly as much as I was when I first began this school year. This year I've managed to gain more confidence in myself, make new friends, and accomplish things that at the beginning of the year, I would have never deemed possible. I also feel like I've found a sense of identity, because in my last year of elementary school, I quite honestly had no idea who I really was. I was absolutely terrified going into middle school, but I feel like now I'm finishing the year off strong.
Pierce The Veil - Hold On 'Till May (Acoustic) by sonneillonxo
To put this in seventh-grader-esque terms, this song has been my jam over the school year. Just stepping into the middle school as a young seventh grader was terrifying, and this song really helped me get over the general anxiety that I felt. The lyrics don't exactly fit with the experience I relate the song to, but it has more of a personal meaning to me, and it helped me get through the beginning of this year. It helped me get over the nervous feelings of being new to the school and having only a few friends/not knowing many people. I have this song to thank for helping me feel more secure when I first came to this school.
The CVMS Science Olympiad program helped me have more faith in myself, and to believe in myself even when things proved to be difficult. I wasn't the greatest SO student at the beginning of the year, and I was overjoyed when I was chosen for the state team. I studied as hard as I could for the competition, and if somebody had told me earlier that I was going to win a 1st place medal in Anatomy, 2nd in Fossils, and 3rd in Meteorology, I never would have believed them. I am proud to have been a part of this team and to have accomplished so much when earlier, I would have never believed I could.
This is part of my lunch group at the beginning of the year (more people ended up joining this little group, such as Mia S., Catherine Z, and Eva M., but they're just not in the picture -- this was the only picture I have). I made a lot of friends this year, though it is true that I mostly stuck to hanging out with people from my elementary school. I didn't have a lot of friends until this year, so it makes me really happy that I've gone from ~1 in sixth grade to over 10 in seventh. It may not seem like much to some people, but it is a lot to me, and my friends mean the world to me. I've become really close to them over the year, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. :)
+ me
Like I said earlier, I really feel like I've gained a sense of identity over the year. Coming into 7th grade, I was practically a stranger to myself. It was like an out-of-body experience, but you're still in your own body. Like Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I was more passive than actually taking part in the things I wanted to do. This year, I've become more active than passive, and I really do feel like I've found a part of myself this year, and I've began to take part in things rather than sit in a dark corner like I usually do.
Overall, these changes in my life have definitely influenced the way I think and act. I used to be a pretty negative person, but after Science Olympiad, for example, I've found that you end up doing better in things if you have a positive attitude. This is true for making friends, as well -- nobody wants to be around someone who's sad all the time. These changes have also affected my actions -- I don't just sit around and watch things anymore, but I try to take part in them. Of course, this doesn't always work out the way I plan it to, but I'm still learning. Eventually, if I keep being proactive in life, I won't pass up opportunities anymore, and if I see something that I want in life, I'll take the steps needed to achieve it, rather than just daydreaming about it and being in my own little world.