Reflection: Freshman Year of High School

    
    This year at Parkway West has changed me in so many ways. 
   
   At the beginning of the year I was... Mute, I guess you could say. I had taken shyness to a completely different level. Even though I hate to admit it, being shy interfered a lot with my academic ability. It caused me to slack off when it came to writing articles in Journalism class and asking questions in other classes that I needed help with such as Algebra 1, World History and so on.


   I was actually comfortable being quiet and staying to myself. Until I realized that I wouldn't be able to accomplish many of my goals without improving my communication skills. So I vowed to asked more questions and talk to my peers more often. So, I started off slow. For example, when someone said "Hi" to me, instead of waving and smiling I would say "Hi" back which would more than likely encourage a conversation.
   
   As the weeks progressed, I began to familiarize myself with my schoolmates and I started talking more. Believe it or not, I actually improved a lot in most of my classes because I spoke up. I made many friends; outside of the ninth grade as well. I've joined the Phenomenal Young Women's (PYW) club this year and it contributed a lot in helping me get over being shy.

   Once I started coming out of my shell I got a sense of how important the need to communicate was. I learned that things don't come to you, you must go and get it yourself and in order for that to happen you must have good communication skills. For instance, when I first got into the Upward Bound program at University of Penn I was reluctant to completely express myself in the interview and later on in the classes which led me to eventually leave the program.


   Now that I'm familiar with the students at Parkway West I believe next year will be a success. Parkway has had an excellent effect on me. I feel confident in this new change and I can't wait until next year!