I Survived!

For the past few weeks, I’ve been looking back at my middle school years.  When I first started at SMS, I heard all sorts of rumors about the horrors of the years ahead.   People tried to convince me that it would be the worst time of my life … but I quickly learned they were wrong.

Before middle school, I had always been extremely quiet; I wasn’t one to talk out or be a
troublemaker. Fifth grade brought me a new maturity and a new-found personality. I realized that there was no need to be so shy and that it wasn’t the end of the world if I reached out and talked to someone. My principal and teachers throughout middle school saw that there was something behind the quiet and shy kid and encouraged me to talk more and participate in class.  It was shocking to my classmates at first, hearing something come from ‘the quiet one’, but they got used to it.  When the faculty found out about how much I volunteered on the weekends and what I did outside of school, they encouraged me further.  They came to events, volunteered, told people about what I was trying to do, encouraged students to get involved, and supported me in any way they could.  One of my former teachers even is on the board of directors of my organization.

Doing what I do at my age is unusual and remarkable from what people tell me. I became founder and president of my own organization and I can’t even drive yet.  They see a confident leader who “has volunteered more in 14 years than most people do in a lifetime” and a role model for younger students.  When I visit schools, I tell the kids that they can do anything they set their mind to and that anyone can make a difference.  I only learned that from middle school and the lessons all of the teachers taught me, and not just the ones I had for a class.

As I get ready to go to high school, I have lots of good memories of my four years at SMS.   I have learned a lot of things, but I will take one very important lesson with me:  Never listen to the doubters.  Look at each new opportunity from your own perspective because if you follow what everyone else says, you may miss the opportunity of a lifetime.