It's hard for me to reflect on where I was at the start of high school compared to now because this entire experience went by so fast. I entered the halls of Millbrook with my brother, a senior at the time, and imagined what it was going to be like in four years when I would be in his shoes. Now that I'm here, I really can't believe that I am a senior; to me, everything seemed like it was so far away and all of his friends were so grown up and that my friends and I weren't. Now that I'm here, I can't believe that I'm supposed to be considered an adult, and that I'm going to college next year. Receiving my cap and gown last week was really the first time that this whole thing has felt "real."
That being said, I can say that I remember what my beliefs, ideals, and goals were as a freshman, and now I realize how ignorant I was. A lot of it was influenced by my brother; in some ways I idolized him and wanted to be like him. A lot of it was influenced by a poor choice of friends. Either way, there's still a lot I would go back and change if I had the opportunity to. Unfortunately, I don't
What probably saved me from going down a bad path was joining the IB Program. The program surrounded me with people who keep open minds and forced me to join them in doing so. As an underclassman, I was honestly ignorant and hardheaded; I did not accept anyone's opinion except for my own. I'm still working on it, but many of my values and ideals have changed since joining this program. I'm now more prepared to listen and reason with others, and better prepared to face the world.
This program has shaped so much of who I am. My closest and dearest friends have come through IB. The close-knit academic community has helped me redefine my values in the classroom and outside of it. Without the people involved in this program, I probably wouldn't be going to the college I choose (ahh decisions) and I know that a piece of me will be left here with them and all the memories we made. I joined IB, and it made me who I am today. I chose IB, therefore I am.
EDIT****************
Everything above this line was posted before the deadline. But after reading some of these blogs, I have more I want to talk about. There won't be much organization, rather it's just a way for me to vent the terror I have about graduation and life in general.
Advice for Freshman
Absolutely try hard in school. Get involved. Have a social life. Take pride in doing all these things, and be ready to have who you are change, hopefully for the better. Some of the absolute best people I know not only give their absolute best in the classroom, but also give a lot of their lives to service and to other activities outside of school. It might not seem worth it now, but your senior year you absolutely will not regret it. Those first two years, it's ok not to go out much on Fridays and Saturdays. But make sure that your Junior and Senior years you start to do something, because when you get to college you will experience a huge shock in the amount of freedom you have if you aren't prepared for it.
Advice for IB Juniors
It's a shock in the beginning. Especially English; we normally don't talk about these things in school, or really in life. But that's what I love about IB - it forces us to ask the tough questions and have the weird conversations that we may not want to have, but NEED to be had. Participate in these - they'll get easier as you go along and get used to other people. But the bigger part is finding out what you actually believe in, because this journey is very much about self discovery. IB will help you find out what you are really about.
Advice for Seniors
Ok, so I'm in the same position as you guys and may not be any wiser (actually, I know I'm not). Despite this, I have some things that I want to do and I hope you guys do as well
1. Don't forget to laugh. We all have moments where think we are too stressed and busy to laugh, but sometimes that's all that we need to realize that it's going to be alright.
2. Never stop learning. We took this path (hopefully) because we enjoy to learn and have discussions about it. Or maybe we just needed the GPA boost. No matter where you go, what you do with your life, take the time every day to learn SOMETHING. You don't have to earn a Ph.D., but our progress can be measured by how much we know and how much we learn.
3. Keep it real. What I've loved about this program is the legitimacy of the people I've met; no one has tried to pretend to be something they aren't. Because of this, we became more accepting and loving of each other. Keep it going in every community you're a part of.
What do I want to do?
I don't know. I came into this program with a pretty clear mindset of becoming a physical therapist one day. After being exposed to what this program has to offer and just how real the problems are we discussed, I don't know anymore. Here's what I do know:
1. I have a passion for the human body and anatomy. Yep, this still lines up with me becoming a physical therapist. The physiology unit in Bio was my best one, and the one I had the easiest time with because I was passionate about it.
2. I want to ask the tough questions, and hopefully answer them as well. The role of religion in politics and in government, the direction we are moving in with LGBTQI rights, and how these two and other issues are going to coexist.
3. I want to explore religion. I've had this conversation with some of you, and the process of religion and belief has been a struggle for me, especially the last year. I want to answer the question, at least for myself, of Did God create Man? Or did Man create God? I also think that a lot of our "American Ignorance" could be prevented with the implementation of a mandatory religions course in secondary schooling (but that's a discussion for a different blog post).
4. I never want to stop learning.
5. I do want to stop schooling at some point.
6. I want to teach, eventually. Whether it's right out of college becoming a high school teacher, or perhaps pursuing a doctorate and becoming a professor. I want to impact lives and hopefully help others to learn from my mistakes. Maybe I'll take the Hosking route and go into the workforce for a while and then come back and teach.
7. I want to meet new people who will better me or be better for me.
8. I want to have a community experience like what I found in IB: where everyone is supportive and loving of each other, despite our differences.
9. I want to have a positive impact that I can see everyday in my work.
10. I want to keep in touch with all of you. I've posted this in a couple of comments, but I do think that in 10 or 15 years or more, we will all be gathered back at Millbrook, sitting around a computer screen laughing at Jose. And I absolutely can't wait until that day to see what I and all of you have accomplished.
Thank you guys; I've made mistakes along the way, but I don't ever regret deciding to take this program. Like I said above, it has shaped me into the person I am, and hopefully will continue to shape me into a better version of myself. I'm so grateful for all of you. Thank you again.
