Throughout my life up until seventh grade I had not put too much thought into school and my

future. Of course, I had thought about what I wanted to do when I grew up but I never took any
steps beyond that. Along with that my grades we between average and below average. I never
cared to study and didn’t care what I got on my tests. However, that would all change as
seventh grade started. We had just started history and were reviewing the presidents. Me being
the lazy student I decided not to listen nor study for it. The day of the quiz came and I wasn’t
prepared. I took much too long on a quiz like that. While taking the quiz a weird feeling came
over me. I realized that every quiz before had felt like nothing. However, this quiz felt different.
As I filled in my last answer I felt my mouth dry up knowing that what I just wrote down was
clearly wrong. I felt as if I should’ve known the content on the page. The longer I looked at it the
more disappointment, and regret I felt. Not knowing of the consequences that were to come I
shook the quiz off and left the room. After a long day at school, I thought to myself that I would
finally be able to relax and forget about school. However, my history teacher had called home
with grave news about my quiz. My mother was furious and had me downstairs for a talk at
once. I had never been yelled at more in my life. The atmosphere seemed hostile, and my mom
spat daggers at me. While her talk felt more like an attack I knew she was only looking out for
me. Her talk truly taught me a lesson and made me realize that I need to change. After that day
had passed I made it my mission to readjust myself for success. I was no longer satisfied with
mediocre grades, and I needed to prove myself to not only my mother but myself as well. I was
determined. I worked tirelessly on projects and studied harder than I’ve ever studied before.
With this determination and effort, I managed to achieve honor roll and kept it going all
throughout eighth grade. I had become the person I wanted to be. While I still had some kinks to
work out I felt as if I were headed in a much brighter direction. To this day I still strive to be
better. I may hit some bumps along the road but those bumps always teach me something new.
As my high school days are coming to a close my adult life is within reach. All I can do is work
harder than before to achieve what I want for my future.