High School
Nicholos Joseph
Mr. Johnson
ELCAP – 7th
8 November 2012
Writing Exercise 2 – Change in High School
“Since you started high school, how have you changed? Write to answer this question.” My high school years have been the most transformative years of my entire life. Although many aspects of who I am have essentially remained unchanged, some alterations in the way I behave around others and basic mentality ultimately left me with a completely new persona. Before I was in high school, I was a very sensitive person, always worried about how people perceived me and concerned with how that perception would affect me in the long run. Because of this, I conformed who I was to fit the liking of those around me, and never “let myself go,” to simply allow myself to do whatever I wanted with no obstruction or restraint. I finally realized in high school that simply being myself was far more rewarding than forcing myself to conform to the whims of those who don’t really matter. Furthermore, I realized that those who accepted me for who I was were the ones who really cared. Disliking people solely on the basis of who they are is unfair, and since I finally allowed myself to live my life without worrying about how others’ saw me, I was able to see those people who were this way. In addition, I had always been someone driven by emotion, always reacting severely to anything and thereby antagonizing those closest to me. In high school, I learned that being this way would never allow for healthy relationships, so I set myself upon fixing this issue in order to mend those relationships which I so valued. I detached myself from the outside world, placing that anger that came from my reactions into more productive things, such as writing and reading. I channeled my anger into more useful things that would have no adverse effects and because of this, was able to change my usually emotional mindset to a much more logical one – one that considered repercussions and
Mr. Johnson
ELCAP – 7th
8 November 2012
Writing Exercise 2 – Change in High School
“Since you started high school, how have you changed? Write to answer this question.” My high school years have been the most transformative years of my entire life. Although many aspects of who I am have essentially remained unchanged, some alterations in the way I behave around others and basic mentality ultimately left me with a completely new persona. Before I was in high school, I was a very sensitive person, always worried about how people perceived me and concerned with how that perception would affect me in the long run. Because of this, I conformed who I was to fit the liking of those around me, and never “let myself go,” to simply allow myself to do whatever I wanted with no obstruction or restraint. I finally realized in high school that simply being myself was far more rewarding than forcing myself to conform to the whims of those who don’t really matter. Furthermore, I realized that those who accepted me for who I was were the ones who really cared. Disliking people solely on the basis of who they are is unfair, and since I finally allowed myself to live my life without worrying about how others’ saw me, I was able to see those people who were this way. In addition, I had always been someone driven by emotion, always reacting severely to anything and thereby antagonizing those closest to me. In high school, I learned that being this way would never allow for healthy relationships, so I set myself upon fixing this issue in order to mend those relationships which I so valued. I detached myself from the outside world, placing that anger that came from my reactions into more productive things, such as writing and reading. I channeled my anger into more useful things that would have no adverse effects and because of this, was able to change my usually emotional mindset to a much more logical one – one that considered repercussions and