It was a nice and bright summer day as the ceremony of my middle school graduation began, my principal called my name, “Christine Li”. I get up with nervousness and excitement, hands shaking to cross the stage with a whole crowd of eyes staring at me. I shake my principal’s hand as he handed me my diploma. I scan through the crowd from left to right looking for my parents as I raised my diploma to show them. With joy and a big smile of their faces, my parents start clapping and cheering for me. Now, a new chapter, a new beginning, oh I was so excited for high school and to meet new people.

As excited as I was for high school, not all things turned out great for me. I wanted to make new friends which I have but not all those new friends I’ve made been good influences. For instance, I was sitting down in class listening to my teacher, as I see a text message saying if I want to cut after 6th period. I sat there thinking about how I probably shouldn’t cut because I end 10th period, and how I’m going to miss out the lessons I’m suppose to learn in class. The clock ticking, and I sat there thinking if I should or shouldn’t cut class with my friends. As the bell rang for the next class, I walk down the stairs and to my left, there it was. The exist to my school building and how tempting it was for me to simply just cut class. I hear another notification and looked down at my phone saying “just come, it’s just one day,” I look at the exit and started walking towards it and just like that I’m outside the school building with my friends.  I felt so guilty for skipping class but I thought to myself one day wouldn’t hurt. But oh how wrong I was, skipping for one day became an addiction and I literally had no motivation to go a full day of school ever again. Skipping was just way more fun than class was and everyday for a whole 2 semesters, I couldn’t get myself to stay in school. I would leave after like my attendance period. It has gotten so bad that I even blocked the school’s number on my mom’s phone so if the school called her, she wouldn’t have realized. My guidance counselor was super sweet however, asking if I was in the right mental state of mind and questioning me “you are such a great student, you had straight A’s in your previous years, what’s going on?” I explain to her how the people around me always influences me to skip and also how boring class was. She began to explain to me about how education is significant and I can always hang out with my friends after school. She continued on and on and lectured me and part of it really touched me but I still couldn’t stop skipping because classes were just so boring for me. I felt so bad for my guidance counselor because she is trying to help someone who almost can’t help themselves. This all started in freshmen year and it kept continuing until Covid started which was mid way into my sophomore year.

Since Covid started, obviously we are all at home/quarantined and I couldn’t cut class no more because there was no point in cutting online classes because it’s like what else is there to do? By this time I have already failed two whole semesters and was behind on my credits for my grade. I was so devastated, worrying about not graduating on time and being held back. My guidance counselor gave me this computer class called apex where you make multiple credits that you are missing all online and also on the other hand, everything else was also online and I took full advantage of this time period. I realized how behind I actually was and started making a change because there was no way that I’m going to be left back and wouldn’t be able to graduate with my friends and on time. So I decided to join all the zooms, complete all the homework assignments and grind on my class called apex. Eventually, after just one semester, I have made up all of my credits that I was missing, thanks to class apex. Lastly, after a year of online courses, I have caught up to my grade and am all caught up. I would forever be grateful for my guidance counselor for being so supportive, helping, talking some sense into me and caring to help me pass high school on time when I really didn’t think I was going to make it. But here I am in college, graduated on time from high school around 2-3 months ago and proud of myself for making it out.