Samantha Sanchez

Mrs. Stro

Period 5

2 March 2022

SPEP Reflection

My school journey has been quite different from other generations, I had to go through

something that no one saw coming. In March 2020, we were told about this new virus that was

spreading in China. No one thought anything about it and honestly, everyone was happy because

we got to have an extra week off for spring break. That all changed when we found out we

wouldn’t be going back to school indefinitely. It was hard transitioning from in-person school, to

online so quickly. It was so foreign for me, to be doing everything online that I have been doing

in person for so long. I was struggling so much in academics and mental health. It was so

different, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to see my friends for a long time. At first, I was kind

of happy because that meant I didn't need to wake up early. But slowly, that happiness became

hatred very quickly. I would turn the TV on to watch the news and I remember seeing many

people dying and how no one knew how to stop it. Doctors couldn’t help them because of how

short-staffed and the fact that no one knew what to do since it was new to everyone. This

encouraged me more to go into the medical field. My whole life, I have loved helping people and

during the hard time of Covid-19, I wanted nothing more than to help the people who were

losing family members due to an unknown virus. I am proud to know that once I graduate high

school. I will enter university to study medicine. During this journey on Covid-19, there were

countless struggles, knowing I would be the first in my family to go to university. There has been
a lot of weight on my shoulders to do well. Learning all these new things this year about college

was a struggle for me, I was so overwhelmed by all the information I was learning. Even though

I was struggling, I managed to apply to schools that were not dream Universities but were still

schools that will help in my new journey. They were universities that would just get me where I

wanted to be. I was honestly so disappointed in myself because I didn’t apply to the most

high-level schools like Harvard or UCLA that I wanted to apply to. All my family thought I

would apply since I am “smart” enough, though I knew I would never be good enough to go

there. This made me cry a lot because I felt as though I let everyone down. My dad came up to

me and told me, “The school doesn’t make you. You just need to do what you need to, to go into

the medical field". I thought about this, and it's true. No matter what college I end up going to, I

will do what I love and help the people in this world. I WILL do this, no matter what university I

go to. I WILL make myself proud and do what I want in life. I am currently thinking about going

to San Marcos, so I can save more money since I need to go back to school for medical school. I

am so excited to see what I am going to do in life and how I will impact the world in a good way.