Moving to the suburbs of Chicago from a small town in New Hampshire was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my entire life. I used to be the kind of person that would never be willing to make a change, and that’s probably because I’ve never done it before. Now when I think of living in a new place, I think of all the potential great things it can bring to my life.
When I finished my sophomore year of high school I thought I had it all figured out. I had built some great relationships with friends and teachers in an environment I loved and was used to. I knew in the back of my mind that I would have to leave my hometown in a few years for college, but never really thought about how it would feel and affect my life. At the time, I didn’t think it was worth it so I decided to forget about it until it was time for college.
After going from a school with less than one thousand students to one with over 3,000 students I have never met before, I have seen the benefits a new school can bring to my life. New people with different perspectives have changed the way I look at the world. Having new teachers with different teaching styles has helped me be able to learn in different ways. My A.P. English teacher junior year, Miss Marsh, taught me to analyze writing more deeply. She helped me be able to write a twelve page research paper analyzing the writing of one novel alone. At my new school, I have had many opportunities to take business classes. This is something I could not do at my old school. During my two years at Fremd High School, I have learned about marketing, business management, finance, and plan to learn business law at the end of my senior year. These classes have helped me prepare for when I eventually enter the business world as an adult.
When I returned to New Hampshire last summer, my friend Ben commented on how much more I express myself in front of people. I have learned to branch out and get to know all sorts of people in an environment with a diverse group of students. Last year a player on our basketball team was Indian, and over the season and team dinners I learned about his culture. Adjusting to new surroundings, meeting new people, and learning in a new school is extremely difficult. However, I found that the more I did it and embraced it; the better I got at it.
I believe the ability to adapt successfully and stay true to yourself is a skill that can help me though out the rest of my life. That is what moving helped me do. It helped me see some of the good change can bring, and I’m ready to do it again next year in college.