ASHCRAFT 1

Samantha Ashcraft

Dr. Kellner

English 0099/ Paper 1

1/31/17

Rough Paths Can Turn for the Better

Anyone can turn their life around and pursue their dream, they just have to believe in

themselves. When I was in middle school, I got in TONS of trouble; and when I say tons, I mean

I got suspended three times and had in school suspension twice. I had to be talked to by police

officers, was in the principals office multiple times, and was on my parents disappointment list.

My parents expected so much from me and I just continued to disappoint them over and over

again. Until one day, 8th grade year, I got tired of being the person I had become. I decided that I

wanted to make my parents happy, and better yet, make myself happy like Peter J. Rondinone,

author of Open Admissions and the Inward I. Rondinone turned his drugs and violence into a

beautiful life with a college degree. I decided that I wanted to go to college and turn my life

around and go to college when I graduated from high school.

As a scared little sixth grader, I would sit there, in the hard plastic chair, just staring at the

brick walls. I would continue to wait, and wait, until about an hour or two passed by. The

principal would come in and talk to me about how much of a disruption to my class I had been,

and how harassed one girl felt. Im going to give you three days of in school suspension, and I

hope to NEVER see you back in my office!. All I could think of was what my parents were

going to say. I wasnt worried about missing class, or how bad I embarrassed that girl. My

parents were my main worry they were very disappointed and worried that I was going to ruin
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my life at such a young age. Little did they know, that wasnt the last time theyd get a call from

my principal

There I was again, a not much better seventh grader, getting in trouble for threatening to

kill my best friend. Yes, you read that right, my BEST FRIEND. I was passing notes back and

forth with my friends in social studies class. Until I wrote something that my friend took way too

literal. She showed our teacher the notes and I knew I was in for it. Back down to that same hard

chair and same boring brick walls. The only thing different was the principal. This time it was a

lady, but that didnt change anything. Two days of suspension for you, and I hope youll get

your act together after this one! Again, the only thing on my mind was my parents. What are

they going to do now? Will they put me in therapy to help get this horrible person out of their

little girl? You know what they say, its all fun and games, until someone gets hurt.

Yes, you guessed it. A year later, a big bad eighth grader, hurting people verbally. Youd

think Id learn from the year before that passing notes can get you in big trouble. Well I didnt

catch onto that. I was passing notes with the same girl, that I did the year before with in science

class. My ex-boyfriend was Japanese and we had just recently broke up. I may have made some

racist remarks in that note. Well of course, I throw the note away at lunch,

and the school custodian stops and picks it up right back out of the garbage can. I knew then, this

was going to be bad. For the third year in a row, I was sitting in the cold, hard chair, staring at the

blank brick walls. Here comes another new principal, looking depressed and angry as ever at the

same time, and had read my files from the past two times. I hate to say it, but Im going to have

to give you two days of suspension because that behavior is very unacceptable in this building

and if you keep it up, youll never get into college! This time, my parents werent the first thing
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on my mind, my future was. I was so fed up with looking in the mirror every day, and seeing

some monster that I didnt even know. That isnt me. This was the beginning of my pivot in life.

The article, Transitioning from High School to College written by

Alexander Nazemetz explains the difficulties and perks of transitioning from

a high school senior, to a college freshman. In the article, Nazemetz explains

to the reader how they should manage their time in college, how FAFSA is a

huge part of the college life, and how the responsibilities they will have as a

college student. He ends his article with a quote that states Dont sweat the

small stuff. He then proceeds to let the readers know that they will

experience such great things once they leave high school and that none of

the small stuff that happened before will bother them anymore.

My first day of my freshman year of high school was my new starting point. I would sign

up for every college meeting that we had, all four years. I had faith in myself. I can do this. I

realized I was the only unsupportive person in my life all that time. I had tons of support and I

didnt see it or care for it. But now, with my parents support, and my own support, I know I will

have a bright and healthy future. Like Peter J Rondinone, all I needed was support from myself.

We had both got into trouble and decided to turn our lives around for the better.

Open Admissions and the Inward I exposes Peter J Rondinone as he tackles his past

and toils for his future. When Rondinone was in high school, he was very corrupt. He was into

drugs and violence, and made a huge mistake. That mistake led him to decide to go to college

and turn his life around. Although everyone around him was very unsupportive of him, He was

put into the basic classes. His first writing teacher had him write every single day to make him

better. This led him to eventually decide to major in creative writing and become a success.
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Starting College Means Growth Plus Learning written by Marquita

Amoah, reveals tips for living the life as a college freshman the right way.

She starts out by introducing herself and letting the readers know a little bit

of background about her. She then proceeds with a few tips such as, Make

sure to register for classes early, Morning classes arent for everyone,

Make sure to have books prepared for each class, and Make sure to study.

Similar to the article Transitioning from High School to College, Amoah

continues with the social life college students should have as well as the

expenses that college brings to students.

Rondinone knew that he could do whatever he put his mind to. Thats why he ignored all

the unsupportive people, and kept his support surrounding him. His brother was the only one in

his family who supported him, and that meant a lot to Peter. His first writing teacher helped him

by challenging him to write every day to make his writing better. Ross Alexander, another person

who gave him support, gave him a daily journal and told him he should major in creative writing.

He had joined The Observation Post because it was the only paper on campus that printed

narrative writing. The features editor of this post rewrote his work, but believed in Rondinone, so

he never took credit for it. So through all the obstacles of support and non-support, there is a way

you can push through all of it.

Peter J Rondinone is a very influential man. All the drugs and violence he was into in

high school, turned into a wonderful college degree. He helped me realize that whenever anyone

says no, you say yes and believe that you can go through with it. You can change your life into

whatever you want, from the worst you can be. If Rondinone can believe in himself and turn his

life around like that, I know that I can as well. I just have to focus on my future, avoid the past
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and continue to believe in myself. Looking back I realize I was just immature and needed to

grow up in order to get my life straightened out.

Works Cited

Amoah, Marquita. "Starting College Means Growth Plus Learning." New York Amsterdam
News, vol. 102, no. 34, 25 Aug. 2011, p. 33. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=65354859&site=ehost-
Live.
Nazemetz, Alexander. "TRANSITIONING from High School to College." Collegexpress
Magazine, Fall2015, pp. 10-11. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=110434599&site=ehost-
live.
Rondinone, Peter. "Open Admissions and the 'Inward I.'" Change 9.5 (May 1977): 43-47.