The Countdown

I think I speak for everyone when I say that Ms. Algozo is a very moving speaker. Her last speech was just as spine tingling as all the others. It was evident that her words brought a lot of us back to reality. We are indeed only two short years away from college. It is not the time to "derail the class" as Ms. Algozo so eloquently stated numerous times earlier today. All of our actions can influence not only us, but everyone we are surrounded by as well. We need to remember it is not only us fighting for an education, but also 32 others who dream of attending Syracuse, Brown, Michigan, and all the other prestigious colleges we dream of. Sometimes it's scary to think about how small my graduating class will be when the big day comes soon enough. I hope that that the tenth graders that I share classes with and see in the hallways will be standing on that stage with me, tears of pride in their eyes. It's hard to say, but I don't know that what is left of our family will have the honor to graduate in 2013 with all the high school requirements under their belts. All that I know is that I will be standing up there, diploma in my hand and gratification in my heart.
For me, high school is just a countdown. A countdown to when I can finally attend Syracuse, choose the classes that I love, and finally be free of labels, and identity crises. A countdown to my dream job as a writer for the Chicago Tribune, LA News, or even NY Times. A countdown to living in a condo with big windows and high ceilings. In all honesty, I know that these two years will be anything but easy, but my path is clear along with my mind and I know what has to be done in order to make my dream come true. It's like the adorable Zach Gilford says to Alexis Bledel in the movie Post Grad, "You got the hard part figured out. You know what you wanna do. Now you can just spend the rest of your life going after it."